The Perfect Crime and Other Drabbles
by bookgirl111
Summary: The Perfect Crime and Other Drabbles is a collection of hilarious, serious, and everything in between (fluff included!) package that will deal with the dozens of ideas, prompts, AU's and various cases of our favorite characters! Come join in on the fun! 1. The Perfect Crime -and what could go wrong. Warning: Gene x Mai x Naru, and slight nudity! [New chapter upload: 29-32]
1. The Perfect Crime I

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Perfect Crime

 **Prompt:** The perfect crime –and what could go wrong.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

Earl Grey Tea. A black tea blend flavored with the oil of bergamot has been used in England since the 1820s. Since its creation it has been the drink of choice for the upper class –a status that still follows today.

But as Naru spits out into the sink a drink that even dares to call itself by the name of Earl Grey, he wonders to himself **what the hell is this?** Rather than a mouthful of a calm taste with a bitter edge at a respectable temperature the drink is… pickle-like and tastes of orange perfume.

"MAI!"

"Yes!" Mai calls out, exiting the apartment's lone bathroom, her hair still wet from a fresh shower. "What's wrong, Naru?"

"What is this?" he holds up the unsuspecting cup of tea.

"…Uh… your morning tea." She walks over to him. "Why? Is something wrong with it?"

"Are you sure it is Earl Grey Black?"

"Yeah, Gene and I picked it up from the store, here," walking over to the upper cabinet by the window Mai pulls out a brand new box of tea. "It's brand new, from the TWININGS brand –just like usual. Why? Does it taste stale?"

Looking over the box of tea with its combination of English and Japanese writing Naru comes across several fine print sentences written in English on the back. Before he can finish reading the information ***input horror scream effect here*** a scream cries out from the single bedroom of the apartment.

"Mai!" Gene calls out running towards them, cradling his cup of tea like a wounded baby. "Something is wrong with the tea!" Gene exclaims his hair wild with bedhead. It is clear to Naru his twin has just awoken –if the lack of any clothing at all was an indicator.

"Gene!" Mai exclaims blushing, "the windows are open!" she rushes to close the blinds in the open living room/kitchen area.

"Forget the windows! Something is wrong with the tea! I think it might be the water! We must inform the city that the water supply is poisoned! At once!"

' _Idiot.'_ Naru thinks, with a sign he grabs his twins arm to stop the panic attack before Gene breaks _another_ tea cup.

"It is not the water." Naru answers calmly, taking the tea cup from his brother's arms. He then hands Gene the box pointing to the fine print. "Read."

Mai returns, apparently having taken a trip to the shared room, "Here" she hands Gene a bath robe to cover himself with.

"Thank you Mai," Gene never looks up from the box.

"The fuck!" Gene exclaims after finishing.

"What?" Mai asks the two tea addicts still confused.

" **They reformulated the tea blend!"** Gene shouts as Naru calmly answers.

"No wonder it tastes like perfume shit!" Still not being weighed down by the reality of the situation Gene shouts, "This is a crime!"

Naru nods in agreement.

"Okay…" Mai looks around the kitchen, "so we need to use a different companies blend is what you're saying?"

The identical twins nod, their arms crossed.

"Just great." Mai mumbles, turning from them she walks over to the bedroom. "I'll go get dressed then." _'So much for a Sunday off'_ she thinks.

* * *

The next day when Monk, Yasu, Father Brown, Masako, and Ayako come to visit the office they notice something odd. First, the sign on the door reads as **closed** –even with all of the lights on. Second, the silence emitting from the door is unnerving to say the least. Third, when Monk turns the doorknob, the door opens –it's unlocked.

"What the…" All words die out at the sight of what can only be described as a crime scene. Caution tape surrounds the visitor's couch, which is littered with opened boxes of tea. The small kitchenette has spilt out over onto Mai's desk and even across the wall leading to the front door where tea cup boilers are plugged into every outlet possible. Lin works quietly from his office space, the door closed, unaffected by the chaos that is currently occupying the rest of the office. Sitting in the back is Naru and Gene, with a table buried under tea cups, coffee mugs, and even bowls all filled with various steaming liquids –is that tea?

"Hi guys!" Mai calls out walking from the kitchenette to the twins with two bowls of fresh tea. "Sorry for the mess!"

"What in the world is going on here?" Ayako asks.

" **The perfect crime."** The twins answer at the same time along with Mai. All have bags under their eyes, they sigh in sink and return to doing what they've been doing from the last twenty-four hours.

Find the perfect Earl Grey Tea blend.

The Perfect Crime –Poison Tea

 **AN: To some of you who might notice (or get told there has been an update) I was just checking around at some of my stories becuase I noticed some of the formatting, underlining, spacing, and scene dividers get changed or vanished and I wanted to try and put them back in. See you guys for the next update on 2/28! And remember I take requests!**


	2. The Perfect Day I

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Perfect Day

 **Prompt:** So you had a bad day –what can Mai do to save it!?  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

Summer officially has come to an end. That is the sad reality that Mai has to accept as she looks out on the street and can see the tree's sway in the fall breeze as the bright green leaves begin to turn a light brown and gold. Bringing the cup of tea to her lips she enjoys a solidary moment of silence in the afternoon sun.

 **SLAM!**

A second sigh escapes her lips. Turning from the large window Mai is greeted with the sight of her two 'roommates'. One pissed and giving off the killing intent and the other one with an exasperated expression. "Dare I ask?" she comments walking the short distance to the kitchen to pour two more cups of the freshly made tea.

"I wouldn't." Gene accepts the cup gratefully as he plops himself down onto the loveseat.

"How'd it go, Naru?"

The younger twin stares at her, never removing his glare even as he sips the cup. "Why did I have to go again?"

" **Because you are the boss!"** Mai and Gene huff the answer for at least the twentieth time that day alone.

"Geez, Naru!" Mai sits next to him, between the twins. "You've known about the gathering of psychic institutions for months now! And besides it couldn't have been that bad? It wasn't like you had to mingle with low-lives or anything –you needed at least a doctorate to head a group!"

"It wasn't them," Gene grabs her hand and laces his fingers with her, "the scientists and stuff were fine it just that the conference was right next store to a convention…"

"What kind of convention?"

"A marriage convention for singles wanting to…"

"Marry any person they could grab of the **bloody god-damned street**."

CRACK!

"Naru!" Mai exclaims as she rushes over to the kitchen and grabs paper towel. "We're going to run out of tea cups if you keep on exploding them! And the rug!"

Rather than get angrier or even blow her off Naru sighs and with a hand covering his face makes the shattered tea cup pieces levitate off the rug, along with the spilt tea, and hover a foot off the ground. In a rush Gene runs into the living room, having apparently gone to the kitchen, and tosses her a large plastic bowl. Placing it under the levitating mess Naru drops his control over them and with a soft _splash_ the mess is done with.

"Thank you." Mai disposes of the mess into the garbage can.

Prepping another cup of tea, in a Disney Grumpy coffee mug this time, she offer it to her former, and still kind of, boss.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" she asks sitting back down on her own spot of the couch. At the same time two identical bodies shift and lean on each of her shoulders.

" **A nap."** Both twins answer together.

Giggling Mai leans back and lets both twins fall asleep their tea getting cold on the side tables. Out the front window a single leaf, the shade of gold, flies right into the window.

Fall has begun.

The Perfectly Day –Not!

 **AN: Thanks for all the reviews and suggestions! I've added two to my list so far and I can't wait to get started on them! I know this one is a little weird as its spring and the topic is fall but I live in Florida and we finally just started losing leaves -so it looks like fall! Have fun and I can't wait to see other suggestions! Just leave them in the review sections (as long as I can see its a suggestion I'll put it in the pile and when/if it gets published I'll mention the name of the reviewer who put it in!).**

 **See you next month -hopefully with two or three new drabbles!**


	3. The Perfect Word 1

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Perfect Word

 **Prompt:** The perfect word –to describe someone you know.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene, other pairings possibly in the future

The perfect word. A single word that can completely describe and encompass the complex entity that is a human being. One word. And today, for three members of the Shibuya Psychic Research, during a *cough*cough* "team building exercise" *cough*cough* everyone is about to learn just what their team mates _truly_ think of them.

* * *

Silence…

Silence…

…and more silence.

Mai looks down innocently at the stack of index cards, their blank white sides hiding the written words and blue lines from the world. Mai sighs, not bothering to look up at the rest of the team. She can already predict their facts: Masako sitting properly with her one sleeve covering most of her face –to attempt to hide from the rest the effect of the negative energy in the main living space of the SPR's office, Yasu is whistling not even attempting to recognize the danger such a habit might pose to his health, Father Brown is sitting at attention with a nervous look, Monk is twiddling his thumbs probably wondering if he should say something or not –and probably leaning towards not, and Ayako has her legs crossed with a pissed off look on her face.

 _Yup. Everyone's here. Joy._

Lin is leaning against the window, the outside sun shining down on his face –ironically enshrouding it in even more shadows.

And of course on her left is half of the reason everyone is on the edge of their seat. Bright, bubbling, and ready to go –Gene once more proves to the universe that even being as innocent and sweet as an angel he still might bring the world to an end. Simply because on her right is the other half of the reason: Naru the cold and heartless narcissist.

 _Yup, I can see it now: a tornado in our future_. Mai sighs again just wishing with all her heart she never got up this morning. But then again, they might be doing this trapped from within the three's shared bedroom –an already small enough space for them –much less the entire team.

"I'll go first," Mai rolls her eyes giving in. Ignoring the threatening presence on her right daring her to pick up the first card she turns it around and: "Se-se-sedulous? What does that even mean?"

"Idiot." Naru huffs next to her. "Sedulous means of a person showing dedication and diligence."

Ignoring the temptation to begin an argument, mostly due to the desire not to have _you-know-who_ destroy the place with his ridiculous powers, Mai marches on. "Idiot," the card reads. Glaring softly at Naru with a sigh Mai moves on.

"Beautiful. Awe, thanks Gene." Pecking him on the cheek the nicer of the two twins returns the peck and even loops his one arm through her left –both of them evilly reveling in the blushes Masako and Father Brown offer from their so called 'PDA'.

It is a soft 'hn' warning the two of them that has Mai pick up the next few cards: "Surprising.", "Sister.", and "Innocent.".

"Alright –almost done!" Gene cheers her on as Mai picks up one of the last two cards from her pile. "What does it say?"

"Annoying." Mai immediately looks over directly at Masako, who in turn turns from her with the light blue kimono sleeve still blocking most of the lower face. Shaking her head Mai turns over the last card and reads aloud: "Saint. Huh? I don't really get it." Looking around at her team, Mai is about to open her mouth when –"Mai. Tea." –she ends up rolling her eyes instead.

"Fine, just don't break anything while I'm gone." Mai then removes herself, the blockade, from between the twins and off to the small kitchenette –not even more than a yard away. While gone she does not realize the fact that all of the team to an extend do agree with the her being termed a saint –solely because of her every day, and night now, putting up with one of the most difficult individuals to have ever walked the earth, and his twin brother as well.

But rather than worry about the last word from her pile Mai worries in the backdrop of automatically going through the motions of tea making focused on the coffee table. A small, rectangle, solid steel framed and wrapped table –it is the perfect central piece to all the black, leather couches that Naru is so fond of. Internally, Mai wants to weep. For, before the night is over, she is almost certain that Naru will either break it down the middle, warp it into a jagged piece of art, or shatter it into little pieces as though it was glass.

And it be the sixth one this month if he did.

 _Damn it, Naru! Of all the habits –breaking coffee tables!_

"Ugh…" Mai groans quietly to not be heard as she gathers all of the materials to bring the tray over. And don't even get her started on the various tables and desks back in their apartment!

With a bright and cheerful smile to hide her inner fear of having to go and get another coffee table, Mai announces: "Tea!"

 **Round One –Complete**

 _But will the rest of the team survive getting through both of Gene's and Naru's piles? Any why are they doing this anyway? Find out next time on: The Perfect Word!_

The Perfect Word Answers –For Mai

 **AN: Okay! So the announcement for this story has been taken down –unfortunately my health wasn't that great in the last two weeks but it is getting better and thank you** CrescentMoonTenshi **for your encouragement –as well as** CSakuraS, soulsborne123, **and** Ghost loves japan 77 **[who's prompts I am grateful for and working on!] for your reviews. Also, as I warned in the Announcement last week, this is replacing that chapter and not going after it.**

 **This is part one of** The Perfect Word **and I would like your help doing the rest! Now, while I have part 2 and 3 with Gene and Naru already picked out and I am working on getting both of those up by the 28** **th** **of April I want you all to help me pick out for the other parts, including:**

 **Father Brown, Masako, Ayako, Monk, Yasu, and Lin –basically what one word do you think Mai, Gene, or Naru would use to describe them? Let me know in the review section and please mention who the word is about and who you think you say it!**

 **Also, while there are some obvious ones up above –who do you think picked out each word for Mai? The answers for specifically who will be posted with Gene and Naru's answers probably on the 28** **th** **of May to give you plenty of time to tackle some of the more obscure word choices.**

 **And as always, please don't be afraid to give me more prompts and inspiration!**

 **Thank you so much, and see you later this month on the 28** **th** **!**

 **Sincerely, bookgirl111**


	4. The Perfect Word 2

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Perfect Word

 **Prompt:** The perfect word –to describe someone you know.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene, other pairings possibly in the future

The perfect word. A single word that can completely describe and encompass the complex entity that is a human being. One word. And today, for three members of the Shibuya Psychic Research, during a *cough*cough* "team building exercise" *cough*cough* everyone is about to learn just what their team mates _truly_ think of them.

* * *

Sitting back down between the North and South Pole is never an easy feat, but somehow Mai just makes the perfect equator. Monk, Ayako, Masako, and Father Brown all let out a sigh of relief once she returns, and happily take in the moment of peace her wonderful tea brings in calming the beast. Yasu, meanwhile, hides his pout and wish for chaos behind Mai's wonderful tea. And Lin? He's currently staring outside at a tree, contemplating what life would be like if he actually was a tree. He does that a lot.

"Alright!" Gene puts his empty cup of tea down on the coffee table and picks up his pile of cards, finally revitalized from Mai's magical tea! Flipping the cards over, Gene quietly hums to himself and he begins to move the cards around.

"Uh… Gene, what are you doing?" Mai asks sweetly as she pauses in pouring Naru another cup of tea. Naru does not like this.

"Rearranging the cards based on how I feel about them."

Blinking Mai finishes pouring Naru his second cup of tea while the rest of the gang shudder that Gene's denseness – _world's greatest medium can't even realize he should never come between Naru and his tea!_

"Done!" Gene exclaims happily hugging half of Mai happily.

' _How much sugar is in this stuff?'_ Monk thinks looking down at the innocent Earl Grey tea.

Removing himself from Mai's person Gene begins to read his cards aloud: "Stupid –Mai, look! Our little boy's expanding his vocabulary beyond idiot!" Gene then begins to taunt his twin by reaching over to pat his head only to get pushed by the wind to the other end of the couch –Mai mysteriously unharmed. Gene laughs it off, Mai completely missed the situation pouring another cup of tea for herself, and Naru is as indifferent as ever.

' _How!?'_ the rest of the gang, aka Monk and Ayako and Father Brown and Masako, ask. Yasu is internally wishing for more blood to have been involved. And Lin? He's still daydreaming and contemplating about being a tree. Don't worry about Lin –don't worry about him at all.

"Shall we continue?" Mai offers setting down her cup of tea.

"Sure! The next card reads 'caring'! Isn't that just adorable?" Gene wraps his arms around Mai and begins to rub his nose along hers. Holding back her own laughter Mai returns the rubbing motion causing the normal Japanese people to blush at the PDA and Yasu to laugh gleefully at Naru's destructive energy.

Pulling away Mai pecks Gene on the check, "Come on, let's just get this over with."

"Kay! Look! Troublesome!"

"Are you sure that you're the right twin for that word?" Ayako mutters softly.

"Yes! Yes, I do!" Gene answers her back, causing the miko-doctor to blush softly.

The next several words went basically without too much distress: " _Selfless, Saint_ –hey look Mai! We're twins! Isn't that so cool? – _Inoffensive_ –such a neat word, Mai! Oh! Look!" Gene fakes his surprise as he shows Mai the next card, "It reads caring –again! Isn't that hilarious, Mai? Someone other than you describes me as caring –do I get another snuggle session?"

 **CRACK!**

 _{Thus perishes yet another coffee table at the hands of Naru, aka Oliver Davis. May this, the thirteenth coffee table of the SPR Office to die since the return of Gene and the sixth one this month alone, lay to rest in eternal peace as a warped lump of metal that was once a stylish table –one that took a week for Mai to locate. You may now return to your regularly schedule program.}_

Silen –"Let's just finish up alright?" Mai rushes holding Naru's hand as she attempts to calm the growling angrily twin. Mai prefers a not-so-angry-but-still-growling-Naru, just not in public. At least he still had the decency to levitate the teacups and pot off the table before he warped it.

"Okay," Gene responds completely unfazed by the destruction of another coffee table. Or te fact that his twin wishes the table was his face. "But I want you to read it aloud, Mai!"

"Uh…" Mai looks over at Naru who only slightly shrugs. Taking this as permission, Mai responds with a short "kay" and removes herself from Naru's person and takes the card, facing down, from Gene.

"Marriageable." Mai reads aloud clearly too all inhabitants.

"You think so?" Gene flirts softly back, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leaning her over to his side. "Mai," he whispers just loud enough for the other members to hear, "are you asking me to marry you?"

" **Idiot!"**

 **Round Two –Complete**

 _Will the rest of the team survive to even to the Naru's pile, not to mention getting through Naru's pile? And why are they doing this anyway? Find out next time on part three of: The Perfect Word!_

The Perfect Word Answers –For Gene

 **AN: I updated! On time –with two updates, go check out the next one after you read this! And yesterday, the 27** **th** **of April, I finished my last final for my college classes! Now I just have to worry about the four summer classes I am taking –which gratefully don't start till mid-May, so I hope to try and finish some of the project and updates for Boring [which I can't believe I still haven't finished] and this one [part three should be updates next month, along with another drabble].**

 **March for my family is a terrible month in general, and this year it spilled over into the first two weeks of April, so thank you for all your support! And thank you,** CresentMoonTenshi, **for your review this month!**

 **Please don't be afraid to give me requests and ideas to use in future drabbles and also I need your help to come up with AU's! I want to do a Ghost Hunt in Harry Potter AU with the characters going to school there but I don't know what house each of the characters should be in!? Especially when it comes to Mai, Gene, and Naru –so please give me your arguments for where they and the others should be sorted for this story to happen! Please!**

 **Enjoy the other update and see you all next month!**


	5. Lin's Daydream One

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Lin's Daydream One

 **Prompt:** Ever wonder what Lin is thinking behind his statue-like personality? He daydreams! Welcome to the wonderful and wacky internal world of what Lin is doing when no one notices him or he just ignores the world!  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene, other pairings possibly in the future

 _What is it like to be a tree?_

 _It must be nice, not having to worry about any psychic teenagers with angst problems. Or go-happy clones that end up alive after basically being death for over a year._ Lin sighs internally, never letting his body betray his thoughts as he stares at the single tree sitting on the side of their office building.

 _But then again_ , Lin continues the thought, being a tree in the city would just be awful. _Humans everywhere, city smog and pollution as food every day, and irresponsible teenagers carving their undying love as a tattoo upon your bark only to return a week later and cross it out._

 _Maybe it be better to be a tree in a park –but then again constantly having to see happy kids, jealous ghosts, and terrible romance movies being filmed would get dull._

 _No. If I was going to be a tree it have to be in the countryside or a forest. Somewhere with little to no teenagers, musicians, priests, children, or humans in general. Yes. That would be the best place for a tree like me._

 _Huh… but then again a shrine maiden might try to borrow my energy to end a curse… or some teenager might commit suicide from my branches –especially in the suicide forest…_

["Marriageable."]

 _Maybe I should just marry a tree instead…_

 **["Idiot!"]**

 _You don't have to be so harsh._

Lin's Daydream One –Should I Marry A Tree?

 **AN: Look! A second update on the same day! I know, I know. This is a very short drabble, just over a page in length, but I just had this idea when I did the original drabble for** The Perfect Word **and I thought that this be hilarious as a running gag –so do expect more of these down the road and don't be afraid to inspire me. Also if you did not notice –there were two updates, this one is the second and the one before this one is part two of** The Perfect Word **so if you missed it –go back and read it!**

 **And don't forget to drop of any prompts you might have including rated M prompts –which when completed will be uploaded separately with their title announced here so you know where it is! Alright? I really don't mind doing any rated M stories –so don't limit yourselves, I just want to keep M separate from K-T.**

 **Have a great month and see you all next time!**

 **Sincerely, bookgirl111**


	6. Mai in Ghostland

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Mai in Ghostland: Prologue

 **Prompt:** Mai just had to follow that strange boy across the bridge –and ends up in a world not her own.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

Stop!

"Hey! Wait up! Hey! Stop!" Mai shouts at the top of her lung. Despite the pain of the gravel road she still struggles on. "Hey!" she shouts again –the boy ahead of her seamlessly continuing on. Her voice is hurting at this point, she's pretty sure her feet are all scrapped up –why didn't I bother to grab some shoes? Wait, her thoughts stop entirely. Why am I following this guy? How is he? How did I –how did I even get here?

Turning around all Mai can see is darkness, whipping her head around Mai notices that the farms and tree, the bridge and lake –are all **gone**. Vanquished beneath an endless void.

 _Crack_.

Spinning around Mai notices the boy again –a lone light in dark of night. A white mist surrounds his black hair, porcelain skin, and a full black suit. Wait –how can I even see him at all? The boy moves past the fallen branch he broke and becomes smaller in Mai's view. Wait! Running forward Mai no longer notices the lack of gravel or the world vanishing all around her…

Until she slips…

Gritting her teeth Mai gets back up and can dimly see the scraps across the right arm. Wiping the gravel from her arm, Mai looks around to see if she's bleeding at all. Seeing no blood Mai begins lifting her gaze to see the boy again –"Blood!" she gasps looking down at the almost pitch black trail of blood droplets. Standing up Mai checks herself all over but only finds the wet patches on her long pajama pants.

Stepping beside the trail Mai finally lifts her gaze following it –the boy! "But –he was," turning to the direction she was walking towards no more than a moment ago the strange boy is no longer there but rather in another direction completely. This time in the exact direction as a trail of blood.

Blood… wait.

"Stop!"

And like Alice in Wonderland, Mai starts her trek following a nameless, faceless boy all over again.

Mai in Ghostland –Wait, what?!

 **AN: Blame Gene. That's what I am going to do. Blame Gene.**

 **Gene: Why me?**

 **AN: Oh shit! I've started talking to the voices in my head. Run for the hills! Ahh!**

 **Gene: What's with her? *Shakes head* See you all next month!**

 **AN: He's gone? *Looks around, nods* Okay so… this was supposed to be Mai in Ghost Hunt's version of Wonderland –aka Ghostland and instead of something cute I end up with something a lot darker and longer than I wanted. So if you like this idea then I will do more parts of this in the future –not necessarily in order –and in the unforeseeable future if you the readers think it can be a story onto itself than I will take the various portions [think of them as sneak peaks] and make a multi-chapter story out of it. I just don't have time right now to do it.**

 **Don't forget to review and request! See you all in the next chapter!**

 **PS: And I know I was supposed to have part three of the Perfect Word… but the internet keeps on dropping in my neighborhood –I had no internet between 10 AM and just got it back around 3 PM where I live –and I need the internet to do all of my college classes and stuff so I am now SUPER BEHIND on it when in was way ahead a week ago! So next month for sure!**


	7. The Perfect Word 3

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Perfect Word

 **Prompt:** The perfect word –to describe someone you know.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene, other pairings possibly in the future

The perfect word. A single word that can completely describe and encompass the complex entity that is a human being. One word. And today, for three members of the Shibuya Psychic Research, during a *cough*cough* "team building exercise" *cough*cough* everyone is about to learn just what their team mates _truly_ think of them.

* * *

" **Idiot!"**

Suddenly the group found Gene nursing his bruised head on the floor after being flipped over the side of the couch by Naru's _magic powers_. Story for another time.

With a sigh Mai lifts herself back up after dunking faster than *input phrase here*, "Naru," she starts placing her hand on his shoulder. Immediately the active aura begins to calm itself. "Let's just finish this –alright? When we get home you can critique the new tea cake recipe I got from your mom so that it goes just right with my Earl Grey –kay?"

"Hn."

A weak, "Do I get any?" can barely be heard in the background as Gene gets up.

"Common Naru!" Mai starts with enthusiasm, "If we finish your pile off we're all free to go!"

"I refuse."

And there goes Mai's second wind –out the window and past Lin daydreaming about what it would be like to smile. Gritting her teeth Mai asks, "Fine. Then can I read them for you?" Kami she needed some fresh air and alone time –maybe a bubble bath, she's earn it at any rate.

"As you please."

"Fine," picking up the pile to get through them all faster Mai flips over the first card and reads aloud, "Idiot."

"I told you you're twins!" Gene exclaims proudly still down for the count.

"Narcissist."

"Thank you," Naru responds to Mai.

"Troublesome."

"Disregard my comment from before," Ayako mutters under her breath.

"Narcissist, again. And, narcissist." 'Wow,' Mai thinks, 'three out of five.'

"Where's our thanks?" Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum ask in union, their also known as Monk and Ayako.

"Vain-vainglorious? What does that even mean?"

Ignoring her Naru nods to Yasu who returns with a wink and flirtatious smile, 'Call me', he mouths out.

"Intelligent. And marriageable –again."

"Twinsies!" Gene shouts jumping up, his health bar completely replenished.

Standing up, dusting off nothing from his clothing, and pulling his sleeves Naru considers himself properly dressed and shouts, "We're done! Can we leave now, Madoka?"

"Yeah!" Masako complains, "We have already been stuck for almost eight hours now!"

"That's only because you took so long to agree to it," Ayako mutters looking away.

By this point the entire group, minus Lin –still thinking about smiling, has migrated over to the front door of the office. From the other side a muffled voice shouts back: "Not until Oliver, Eugene, and Mai return the favor! And trust me, I can last all night! I brought my own sleeping bag!"

"Ugh," Monk moans, "how can she be so cheerful at our suffering –I'm starving and tea cookies aren't cutting it."

"Of course she's happy," Yasu whispers in Monks ear sweetly, "she's a sadist. I am too, wanna play?"

Monk flinches away and resign to their fates Mai, Naru, and Gene each grab a pile of cards and prepare for the second half of their hell –I mean game.

 **Round Three –Complete**

 _So, the gang is still alive –but who picked what word for who? Place your final guesses in the review section and we will find out on: The Perfect Word Answers!_

The Perfect Word Answers –For Naru

 **AN: Next month I will place the answers for this one and as I lay here suffering with finals after a six-week semester –which covers the same material as a fourteen week one [between my two classes I have done six essays, one semester project, twelve chapter quizzes, a midterm, a final coming up, and three exams I am almost done with] and as of yesterday I start another six-week semester with two completely new classes I thank you all for reading this 'Perfect Word' series please send in prompts or what you think the answers are [most of them were obvious in this one because Naru-is Naru] or what you think MNG [it is shorter than spelling their names out {although slightly redundant at this point}] will use as the perfect word for the rest of the team? Trust me they are not off the hook yet!**

 **Review and comment –see you all next month!**

 **Also -there's two updates this month! I hope you enjoy!**


	8. Father's Day Suprise

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Father's Day Surprise

 **Prompt:** It's father's day! When Dr. and Dr. Davis receive a delivery of flowers and a card –they're in for a big surprise!  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

"Honey, I'm home!" Dr. Davis announces locking the front door behind him.

"Welcome home," his wife, also Dr. Davis, calls from the kitchen. "How was the case in Ireland?"

"Great," Dr. Davis pecks his wife on the check placing his traveling bag and suit case down on the eat-in table. "How was the one over in Wales?"

"A dead-end." She opens the fridge and pulls out their already prepared dinner –a traditional shepherd's pie, "We really need to thank Martha next time we see her," reading the instructions Dr. Lilla Henry-Davis puts the pie into the oven to reheat.

"A drink?" Dr. William Davis asks pouring himself a sip of red wine. "It's sweet," he comments pouring a full glass for himself.

The timer set, Dr. Lilla Davis walks over to her husband and pecking him on the lips plucks the wine glass right from his hand. Walking over to the pile of mail she tastes the red liquid she nods to herself at her husband's good taste and smiles to herself for successfully having stolen the glass of wine. Chuckling to himself Dr. Davis pours himself another glass.

 _Ding-dong._

Setting the glass back down Dr. Davis walks over to the front door. There set down on the door step is a vase of English Daisy's, Borage's, Buttercup's, Dittany's, and Day Lily's. It was an unusual and none of the flowers coordinated together very well but never the less Dr. Davis brought it in.

"What's that, dear?" Dr. Davis asks dumping the last of the junk mail into the trash with the bills organized for later.

"Flowers –though I don't know who from."

"Oh!" Dr. Davis gasps, "I can't believe they actually remembered!"

Putting the vase down, he asks, "Remembered what?"

"Oh, boys. Its father's day. Third Sunday of June? You know." Humming lightly she continues, "Though Mai did send me those chocolates for Mother's day so I guess it can't be that much of a surprise."

Looking over the flowers Dr. Davis plucks the white envelope that reads Dr. & Dr. Davis. "Day Lily's, huh? And English Daisy's, hmm."

"What do you mean?" Dr. Davis asks pulling out the dishes for supper.

"Oh. Nothing. I just can't remember the meaning of those flowers. I know that buttercup can mean something you can't take back and borage is for bluntness and I believe that dittany's have to do something with children. It's just a strange combination of flowers."

"Yes, I thought so too. Not the prettiest bunch to look at." Walking back over to the vase and his wife Dr. Davis asks, "What's the card read?"

"Let's see."

Flipping over the card Dr. Willian Davis almost faints at the very blunt message written:

 _Borage –bluntness  
Buttercup –once something is spoken it can never be taken back  
Dittany –childbirth  
English Daisy –newborn baby  
Day Lily –omen for a baby boy in pregnancy  
–Love M,N, & G_

"We're going to be grandparents! We're going to be grandparents!" Dr. Lilla exclaims dropping the small card in excitement. Turning to her husband of thirty-three years she finds an odd look that is not joy on her husband's face confuses and sobers her. "What's wrong, dear?" The two of them had already given their blessing to their son's when both of them explained they wanted to marry the same girl at the same time, after morning in with her and seeing if the relationship could work of course, _'men'_. Was her husband having doubts?

"Which one's the father though?"

His question was met with silence and when he looks up he finds his wife has left in search of her phone for probably the most important question of their lives. If only Mai, Naru, and Gene had a clue to the answer too...

Opps?

Father's Day Surprise –The Best Gift

 **AN: So this month was Father's day and I already had a one-shot for another fandom planned for the holiday but I just thought this be cute. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review and request! And remember there are two updates this month so don't skip the other one! And thank you everyone who is either guessing or offering words for the Perfect Word series!**

 **I have a question for you though: how do you feel about a Harry Potter AU? If I do one I'd be open to doing a several drabbles with it but I really don't know where to sort everyone in Hogwarts... Should Naru being a Ravenclaw or Slytherin? Mai is probably a Hufflepuff [at least to me] and I want to say that Gene is a Hufflepuff too... Don't even get me started on the other characters -though Yasu is totally Slytherin! Tell me what you think and see you next month! When I'm in finals... again!**


	9. The Perfect Word Answers 1

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Perfect Word Answers

 **Prompt:** The perfect word –to describe someone you know.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene, other pairings possibly in the future

The perfect word. A single word that can completely describe and encompass the complex entity that is a human being. One word. And today, for three members of the Shibuya Psychic Research, during a *cough*cough* "team building exercise" everyone is about to learn just what their team mates truly think of them.

The perfect word to describe: **Naru** (AKA Kazuya Shibuya _[AKA Oliver Davis]_ )

Gene: Idiot

Mai: Narcissist

Lin: Troublesome

Monk: Narcissist

Ayako: Narcissist

Yasu: Vainglorious

Father Brown: Intelligent

Masako: Marriageable

The perfect word to describe: **Gene** (AKA He has no cannon Japanese name _[AKA Eugene Davis]_ )

Naru: Stupid

Mai: Caring

Lin: Troublesome

Monk: Selfless

Ayako: Saint

Yasu: Inoffensive

Father Brown: Caring

Masako: Marriageable

The perfect word to describe: **Mai** (AKA Mai Taniyama _[AKA the future Mai Davis –eat that Masako!]_ )

Naru: Idiot

Gene: Beautiful

Lin: Surprising

Monk: Sister

Ayako: Innocent

Yasu: Sedulous

Father Brown: Saint

Masako: Annoying

The Perfect Word Answers –For Naru, For Gene, For Mai

 **AN: And those are the answers for the first set of the game. Personally I think that I want to try other prompts and issues for a while so I don't know when I'll get back to it but don't let that discourage any one from sending in prompts and requests! And I did have other drabbles I wanted to finish and upload but between getting up going to work, going to class, going to bed for six days of the week, between 5 AM and 10:30 PM [because I have insomnia and have to have a regular schedule] I am barely keeping up with my 2 six-week semester summer classes, much less having the time to write for this. Hopefully next month will be better especially since my schedule should be changing in the next couple of weeks.**


	10. In a Perfect World

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

In a Perfect World

 **Prompt:** In a perfect world –you would have never left us.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

A bright smile, eyes that saw the world in the most positive of visions, and those hands hardened by the world –yet holding ours so kind.

Will you hold our hands like that now? Will you take us by those hands into a darken corner of the kitchen just so the rest of our family wouldn't see you cry when we announced we would be staying in Japan? We still remember each hand that held us into that tight group hug, and the tears that streaked down your face and onto our shoulders.

We still remember.

How out of nowhere two broken halves became whole –and it was because of you. You who took us as broken halves and accepted us. You who found the sleeping half under the water, you who held us close when the nightmares returned, you who loved not one half or another –as all other do –but saw and loved the whole as well as the individual parts.

We remember your smile when we showed you our new home –our as in the three of us –all together in the same bed.

We remember even further back to the tears you shed when you told us you could not choose between the two of us. And the surprise on your face when you arrived at a date for all three of us –one you didn't even know was going to happen. The sun on that day, the spring breeze, and the store-bought bento for our picnic, as to avoid giving you food poisoning.

We remember the taste of your tea from the first time we had it, one of us can still feel the warmth it brought and the other can remembering the ghosting of its taste.

We can still remember all of the cases that followed our stay in Japan. And even the case we did in the UK for our parents.

We remember how difficult it was to pick just the right engagement ring for you. You were from a Shinto family –and we grew up in an academic non-denomination family –so we had to decide what the wedding would be like? We had wondered when we would get the guts to ask you –after all it is technically impossible to marry both of us legally. Which of our names would be placed next to you?

We stare down at our engagement rings. We designed them to both be halves of a single image: infinity, encrusted in specks of onyx and amber on a silver canvas. We knew you would have loved them.

Three days ago we would have kneeled down together. We finally decided to propose on the day we became complete again, the setting would have been similar –but in a happy manner. We found a part of the park not too far from one of the similar cases SPR took on, the lake was beautiful and the weather wondrous. We would have lured you there early in the morning and when the sun has risen over a part of the water we would have stood before as we did on that case.

In a perfect world we would be at our home, enjoying a wonderful Sunday off. We would be sipping your tea, playing a random list of classical Japanese and English music, and looking over several of the week's cases looking for where we can focus our efforts. You would be teasing us for being workaholics and as always insist we assist with the shopping for the week, even though you know we would come regardless.

In a perfect world we and the rest of SPR's gang would only gather all together when we have cases or celebrations. Not when tragedy strikes.

In a perfect world the beauty of the cherry blossoms would not be used to color a cemetery. The bright sunshine would be reflecting upon you smile not your coffin. Our tears would be saved for the happiness of our wedding –not the agony of your funeral.

In the perfect world we would have never took that case.

In a perfect world you would still be here laughing, smiling, yelling, and bringing life to every single one of us.

Monk would have walked you down to the alter, as unconventional as it is Father Brown would officiate, Masako would have planed the whole event and demanded the right to pick your wedding kimono –in something gold to reflect your heart, Yasu would be our best man just as Ayako your Maid of Honor.

But in reality Monk, Father Brown, and Ayako each officiated your funeral in a different religion to honor your soul thrice, Masako found the best plot of land and did plan out your funeral but all with a bitter smile and tears behind her eyes, and Yasu? He practically moved in and began taking care of us.

In a perfect world we would have our happily ever after.

We would all smile, laugh, live, love. After our wedding we would have continue on case by case, day by day, and eventually we would begin our family. You would have glowed in new life continuing on in your body, and we would train our children prepared for any abilities they developed.

In a perfect world we would have grown old.

In a perfect world we would have never had to think of how to live without you.

Because…

In a Perfect World –You'd Never Leave Our Side

 **AN: So a guest left a review for the Perfect Day story… and I quote** :in a perfect parallel world… **and I was about to go to sleep… so this is what I dreamt? *Shrug* I am sorry guest since this is probably not what you imagined when you sent that review –but that is what came to mind in my dreams… Opps? I'll try for something lighter next time?**

 **Hope this doesn't ruin your day and yes, this story was supposed to be as vague as possible since I don't remember what caused Mai's passing in the dream or which twin was narrating –so I decided both, hence all the 'we' pronouns in the drabble.**

 **Also I planned on having a lighter second drabble of a funny AU… but I worked 12 hours straight through yesterday at work, all day from 4:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon on my feet and I actually have bruises, then I had to work today and a week in I am already behind on school… and the one-shot I need to finish for the 7** **th** **so –only one! Sorry!**

 **See you next time! With something more positive! Hopefully! Depends on your requests! So request!**


	11. Crossdressing AU

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Crossdressing AU/Usotsuki Lily

 **Prompt:** AU in the style of Usotsuki Lily: crossdressing, confessions, misandry, contemplating sanity, dating, two-for-one deals, and ghosts –because why not? Its Thursday after all!  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

This is not what I expected. That is basically the only thought going through Mai's brain right now. Yup, that's it, Mai thinks to herself –no more horror flicks for me. Nope. Can't do it anymore. I'M SO, SO, SORRY MY FIRST LOVE! I WILL REMEMBER YOU FOREVER!

"Mai-Chan? Are you okay?" the husky but light voice ask as the crushing hug releases me.

Looking once more at the long black school skirt, long-sleeve button down cream shirt, and bright red bow on luminous pale skin and long black hair braided down the side of _her_ head Mai has a single thought as she looking face to face with something that might actually mentally break her.

Or maybe not, sorry horror flicks.

 **/Yesterday/**

I can remember it like it was yesterday, the first day of high school. The day was going more or less like I imagined it would: I got to enjoy the early spring morning and the streets full with bright pink and white and red cherry blossoms, I met Michiru and Keiko outside the school building, I went to homeroom 1B slightly sad about my two friends being in 1C but also excited about us finding a classroom to use for telling horror stories together and to hang out during lunch. But what I didn't expect to happen at the end of the day…

"Mai is that!" Michiru exclaimed quietly.

"It is," Keiko covers her wide smile with one hand, clearly failing.

There sitting in my shoe locker was the one thing that would change my life –of course I didn't know it at the time, especially for how it would change my life, but I digress. There on top of my simple black tennis shoes was a crisp white envelope.

"Open it!" Keiko shakes my arm in excitement. Michiru has moved herself to my other side so she can lean over my shoulder hope to read the message.

"Okay, okay!" I whisper with what I can only imagine to have been a bright red blush on my face.

Flipping it over I saw there was no writing on the outside of the envelope at all and it wasn't even sealed shut with anything. Flipping it open I can pull out a simple sheet of lined paper that has been folded over to fit within the envelope inside however I find something that I had not been expecting: simple and crisp writing done of all things in _English_!

"EH!" My two friends whine knowing from our history together only one of the three of us can read it –me. Having lived with an English teacher for almost three years did have its perks for me.

"What's it say?" Michiru whines shaking my arm lightly.

"Let me read it," I teased right back with a bright face before looking over the crisp black text. At least it's not in cursive, I probably thought now knowing how bad his cursive can be.

' _Dear Sweet Lady under the Cheery Blossoms,_

 _I do not know your name, and it is the first day of the year –but since I saw you this morning under the clouds of pink, with your smile as bright as the spring sky –I could not get you out of my head. I know that though we have not formally met that you are a special young lady and I would be honored if you would offer me a chance to formally introduce myself to you and tell you my feeling in person._

 _I will be waiting by the large cherry blossom trees at the back of the school after school until about 4:30. I do hope that you will come –even if to just turn my down._

 _Sincerely, Your Secret Admirer'_

"Aw! That's so, so sweet! You have to go Mai!"

"Yes! Yes! Now!" Keiko seconds.

Before Mai can even sweat-drop her friend's collective energy, much less protest, she finds herself suddenly out the door with her school shoes magically in her locker and a wave a soft pink flower petals falling from the group of trees behind the school. Alone. Yes, that is very important. "How the hell?" Mai whispers.

Shaking her head she walks overs through the patches of trees and finds herself in basically every teen-romances-stereotypical-romantic fantasy-some-bullshit-or-another setting. Yeah… don't ask Mai about shit like that –she still believes that a perfectly normal date is visiting supposedly haunted locations and having a picnic while discussing ghost stories. Because that is clearly what every high school couple does for a first, second, third, infinity date. Maybe even the wedding. Maybe…

But that's getting a little ahead of Mai's current plans.

"Hello?" Mai calls out still not seeing anyone.

"Hi."

Jumping with a small shriek, Mai turns around and sees…

The _freaking_ prince of all every teen-romances-stereotypical-romantic fantasy-some-bullshit-or-another story. Deep dark black hair, a slightly European face with clear Asian roots, wide dark blue eyes, pale but pearly soft skin, and a smile that probably could kill fangirls with a unintentional heart attacks.

"Uh…" Mai can't stop her face from blushing bright red –can you blame a girl? This is her first time having anything to do with a romantic confession! Going with her first instinct she bows and decided introducing herself is the best choice. "My name is Taniyama Mai, I am a first year in class 1B."

With a soft smile the prince returned the gesture and bows for her. "So Taniyama Mai is the name of my dear sweet lady under the cherry blossoms. I am Eugene Davis an exchange students from the UK, I am a first year as well and my class is 1A. I asked you here to see if you would like to go out with me. So…" Blushing Eugene gives a shy smile, "…will you go out with me? I –I mean just on one date at least!"

So the prince is actually human. Good. Mai doesn't think she could deal with a classical era Disney prince. "Yes!" Mai bows again. "Please take care of me!"

 **/Present/**

"Uh… Davis-San?" Please no. Just no.

"Are you alright Mai-Chan?" _She_ asks. No not _she_. **He**.

"Does she even have a brain?" A vice cold voice asks from behind Mai's new boyfriend. Looking up Mai is meet with a vision of even greater horror than her first boyfriend being dressed in the school's girl uniform –and looking great while doing it. Because rather than one beautiful girl there are two –both completely identical from head to toe.

Except their smiles. Eugene has a bright smile, one that makes Mai's heart flutter. This evil twin though… she – _he_ –has a smile that mocks. Soft on the surface like the vice biting Mai, this twins eyes are cold like steel and enjoying Mai's shock. This smile makes Mai's heart plummet.

"Who?" Mai whispers.

"Oh! This," Eugene grabs the other "girl", "is my younger twin brother Oliver! Although I tend to call him Noll! And by the way since were dating you can call me Gene-Chan! Kay!"

Closing her eyes Mai says her internal farewell to horror films forever.

"Also Mai-Chan," he coos, "I might have forgotten to mention this yesterday –but Noll and I: we're a two for one deal! So technically you're dating both of us! Isn't that great!"

Crossdressing AU –Mai's life in a Haunted Version of Usotsuki Lily!

 **AN: So… what's Usotsuki Lily? It is the manga this AU is based on of course! Basically the premise is almost entirely the same with the main female lead getting tricked into dating a really cute boy –only to discover afterwards that he is a misandry that adores women so much he dresses and passes completely as female hence their strange three [time paradox of the author's choice making it technically four] years of dating up to their graduation. Essentially it is a series of breaking the fourth wall, following a multiplied of strange and unusual couples, and hooking up the female leads younger straight brother with her boyfriend's younger gay brother. Oh, yeah –her misandry of a boyfriend also only lives with his dad and three other brothers! This romance is going to go swell –isn't it!**

 **And in this version of that universe, which already has creepy twins, we get more ghosts and adventures! Let me know if you like and don't forget to review and request!**

 **In my real life –school is killing me, Irma was a bitch, I'm super behind on everything and very glad I had this done beforehand.**

 **Good luck and see you all next month!**


	12. Happily Ever After

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

And Happily Ever After

 **Prompt:** And Happily Ever After –is never something you get right on the first try.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

We all first met on our eighth life. All three of our seeds were released from the Stream of Life and born during what is now known as the Stone Age. Still it took to the "Axial Age" in India, just as the central idea of reincarnation comes to a head, you were of obvious Aryan blood –nephews of the village Brahmin.

In that lifetime Gene was older than you by four years. Still it was you who I met first –I was thirteen, my father a warrior under your uncle's control –and assisting with your aunt in the housework. You were handsome then, at least to me.

And you hadn't even developed your trademark narcissism yet either. We all know that would come later.

But the third time we met, Gene was with you. By the fourth time –both of you were in love with me. Me. A girl who belonged to a class beneath you, who was born to a dharma different from yours –I was to birth warriors and you both were to continue a line of priesthood.

Gene married first. She was a nice girl, her hair and skin lighter than mine. I followed the next spring. I don't remember his name, or any of ours for that matter. He was tall, strong, built –everything a warrior was to be. It strange –even though I felt a strange love for the both of you and never touched either of you –all I could think about when I kiss and made love to him on our wedding night is what it would be like to be with the both of you.

I died before that winter, a miscarriage gone wrong. I never knew how much the two of you mourned after that.

I'm sorry.

* * *

In our ninth life, time had not moved forward quiet as much. It is a time and place still called the Axial Age even today. The largest and by far most multi-cultural empire to exist at such point in time –Persia. I was from a Zoroastrian family, my father the new head of the city your families had been slaves to for generations. Babylon.

We met in my father's household, your family being no longer slaves and free to practice Judaism, found work tending to the house and gardens. The two of you weren't related then. Naru was a young widow who cooked in the back. You spent your days taking to the gardens and animals for my family to consume. It was strange. Being born a man in that lifetime it was not necessarily bad to like boys –but I still had to have children –to continue the fight for the light, the truth, and Ahura Mazda.

It's funny, since the two of you could not have me –you married one another. It was different, considering your class a young boy like yourself, Gene, didn't have to marry an older women. Usually that was done for women of a wealthy class, people who did such for political reasons.

But then again. Marriage was never something designed for love. It was designed to allocate power.

* * *

That power consumed both Gene and I in our tenth life. And you, unfortunate Naru, who had just begun to develop your narcissistic streak by this point, was the unwilling Nubian princess to our affections.

It was a small kingdom, close to the beginning of the Nile River, outside of Alexander's Great Empire. The influence and pressure had the entire kingdom on edge. To the point that all the great warriors from all the chiefs of the lands were called to send their sons of all ages for your head.

Your five brothers died before adulthood. And you, at eleven, were the best hope at this point. Power. That is why Gene and I were called to your side –and in this life time both of us were _way_ too old for you. I with my first wife already gone and a two year old son, probably in my mid-twenties. And Gene just a year or two younger having held off to having a wife after his first promised was killed in an raid of foreigners.

Your father selected from neither of us in that lifetime. And you, barely willing to look at your new husband, went on to live a long and prosperous life. Gene would marry within months and live a long life. I got the short end once again. Killed from illness.

I know if you had known back then, and remembered all of our lifetimes from before that –you'd snort, crackle, and then fall to the ground laughing.

* * *

We didn't meet in our eleventh life time. All of us died, as many infants did.

* * *

It was few short lifetimes later, the plague ended many far too soon, that the three of us were reunited. France –in the 1700s, right before the revolution. And as our horrible luck would have it you were the oldest son of a Noble, Gene and I were fraternal twins, and your younger siblings.

It was…

It was awkward to say the least, but sixteen usually is an awkward lifetime for anyone. Definitely for Yasu that is.

Sure nobility and royalty kept the blood pure by intermarriages, and within the royal house siblings laid with one another all the time.

Even so when our shared mother was not joyful at us keeping from staining the blood with a lower house. Though it probably didn't help that she learned of our love affair while the two of you were taking my virginity before marriage, at the same time.

At least this time we didn't died virgins.

* * *

And here we are: twenty lives in from the first formations of our very souls.

* * *

"Mai!" You call out to me running through the crowds into my open arms. Tokyo's Airport is crowded to the seems –and yet you still find me and reach out immediately.

"Gene!" I smile brightly enjoying your warmth in my arms once more.

"It's been to long!" You whine capturing my lips, not at all caring that we're in public or Japan.

"We were only in England for two weeks," Naru drawls not at all looking happy as he was left to carry both carry-on bags. Such a behavior below him.

Separating from Gene, I give Naru a peck on each cheek understanding his lack of wanting to do PDA. "Welcome home."

"We're home," Naru and Gene say softly together.

It's perfect. A perfect moment.

Nothing can ruin this, nothing at–

"Mai, tea."

* * *

Even after this lifetime the three of us met again, and again, and again, for however long it takes for us to achieve our happy ending.

And Happily Ever After –Really Can Be Achieved

 **AN: So a guest left a review for the Perfect Day story… and I quote** :in a perfect parallel world… **and I was about to go to sleep… so this is what I dreamt? *Shrug* I am sorry guest since this is probably not what you imagined when you sent that review –but that is what came to mind in my dreams… Opps? I'll try for something lighter overall next time?**

 **Hope this doesn't ruin your day and yes, this story was supposed to be as vague as possible since I don't remember what caused Mai's passing in the dream or which twin was narrating –so I decided both, hence all the 'we' pronouns in the drabble.**

 **See you next time! With something more positive! Hopefully! Depends on your requests! So request!**

 **AN2.0: Comes home from work ready to study for two "quizzes", one essay exam, 152 pages of readings, three papers, a discussion board piece [three paragraphs at least and one citation] -and realizes that after coming home from work yesterday and completing three readings for Holocaust and part of a chapter for Islam before bed that they never uploaded this drabble on the 28th...**

 **...Happy Birthday, Grandma?**


	13. Soul Marks AU 1

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Soul Marks Part 1 AU

 **Prompt:** AU where your soul mate is revealed to you through a soul mark in the form of a haiku! All parties involved will have the same haiku on their body, can be in different spots though, and it will be in their native or first tongue!  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

A soul mark. A simple three sentence birthmark that would develop the traditional Haiku, it appears slowly or swiftly across the surface of any skin on the human form. It was these simple soul marks that were the most convent of poetry in ancient Japan and became a tradition form of poetry known as the haiku.

All around the world soul marks appear in whatever tongue was the first said individuals learned, even if that language does not match up to their other soul mate. Traditionally there have been very few soul mates who are not of the same tongue which is why Mai though nothing of her very basic English skills noticing something… familiar about the Haiku that Gene would whisper under his breath during several of their meetings while he was still a ghost separate from his body.

In fact she didn't think anything about it at all until Gene was found and taken to the hospital and the doctors having found his soul mark across the lower left side of his stomach were by law to record it. In Japanese. Proper Japanese.

And it matched her Haiku which was also written on the lower left side of her stomach.

Guilt and dread took root in Mai that day. It had been less than 48 hours since she confessed her feelings to Naru –hey, not everyone is going to meet their soul mate and it is absolutely acceptable to date and marry people who do not match even back in ancient times, modern media just romanticizes finding the 'one' –and it turns out he was right. Maybe her feeling were for Gene and not Naru.

But just as much as she blushes at Gene's soft smiles, she internally enjoys Naru's frustrating temper. Just as much as she and Gene fit naturally in their brief encounters spirit walking, she and Naru have a perfectly matched rhythm of work –at this point when it is only her, Naru, and Lin in the office he doesn't even have to call for tea for her to instinctually know when he wants it. Doesn't her believing herself in love with the twin with a horrible narcissistic personality, more so than the nice and smiling twin, count for anything?

 _Is this what my mother and father felt?_

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Huh?" Looking up Mai realizes that it is Father Brown addressing her, his still patched up face skewed in worry. "Oh. No," Mai shakes her head, "I-I mean I am fine. Thanks." She gives him one of her award winning smiles. It had been a while since she had to fake a smile, not since she moved in with her teacher during middle school… the same time her soul mark fully emerged.

"I suppose you're worried about Mr. Davis," Father Brown continues on formally referring to Naru's brother. He and the rest of the team had been doing that since the identity of Naru and Gene came out to be the famous Dr. Davis and medium Mr. Davis.

"Yeah," Mai answers weakly, "I hope Gene wakes up soon."

"I'm sure he will."

"Hey John…" Mai starts. "How… how do you feel about soul marks?"

Blinking, John blushes lightly and turns away from Mai for a moment. "Oh… um… I believe that such things are a gift from the heavenly father upon mortals at a chance of perhaps meeting the person whose soul was made from the same exact source –clothe –uh… energy as their own. A gracious and wonderful gift that at time can bring just as much misery as it does joy."

Now it was Mai's turn to blink. Once. Twice.

"Wow." She blinks again, "that's deep." And well thought out, she adds to herself. "Would you mind if I ask you something personal John?" The father shakes his head still blushing slightly. "Do you –have you know –your soul mark? Like fully emerged?"

"Uh, no," he pauses, "I –I mean I don't mind –I mean we usually aren't so personal with each other but I think of all of us as a pseudo family, if no one minds that is. But, uh, yeah –yes, I have mine. It uh fully emerged shortly after my arrival to Japan actually."

"Oh. That's great! Or…" Mai thought for a moment, "Is it not a good thing? I mean I don't know much about Catholicism but aren't priests and nuns… you know?" Kami, this was twenty times worse than her own guilt. Way to dig a grave, Mai.

"No, it is true that priests and nuns and all higher officials in the Church are not allowed to marry or anything like that but as an exorcist the Church does not require the removal of our soul marks as a symbol of our allegiance to our Lord and Savior –I actually haven't heard about anyone having to do that in a… while to say the least," he trails off in an awkward chuckle.

A very, very deep grave, Mai. Very deep.

"Mai," Father Brown's eyebrows crinkle, "do you have your soul mark? I mean," he blushing lightly, "if it's too personal–"

"I do." Mai looks down at the white clean tiles of the hospital, "It fully emerged around middle school –shortly after I moved in with my teacher." Whose haiku matched my mothers, she leaves unspoken.

"Oh."

Silence.

"Well isn't that great for you? That means you could meet the person who will make you happy and love you forever, right?" Father Brown smiles for her.

"Yeah!" Mai gives some false excitement.

But the silence that follows says something completely different than what the soul mark should be.

Power, Guidance, Bind,  
The wall crumbles –thread and knot,  
Everlasting smile.

Soul Marks AU Part 1 –Matching Haiku's

 **AN: Wow… that got a lot darker than I thought it would. And I kept editing it to try and keep it short but the dark themes just kept coming back… Sorry? [Maybe?]**

 **And I know my haiku's are terrible but I just had the thought why not haiku's as a type of soul mark? Usually I see the ones with writing appearing on your partner's skin, names from the day you're born, etc. but not this one!**

 **And I will explain the meaning behind the imagery of the haiku –just not yet since that would probably spoil where I want to go with the story but I'm not really sure. Let me know how this part worked with you!**


	14. The Perfect Medicine

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Perfect Medicine

 **Prompt:** Request from Ghost loves japan 77 for _Yasu + Laughter + Hospital setting_.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

"There was once a man admitted to the hospital with eight plastic horses in his stomach."

Groggily opening her puffy eyes Mai can see Yasu sitting in the hospital chair pulled up to her bed. Smiling at having gotten her attention Yasu pushes a bowl of cut apples towards her before continuing: "His condition is now stable."

Mind both fogged with medicine and a high fever, Yasu's attempt goes completely over her head.

"Doctor," he starts another, "there's a patent on line one that says he's invisible. –Well, tell him I can't see him right now."

Brown eyes groggily blink as Mai brings up one of the slices of apple to chew.

"The future, the present, and the past walk into a bar. Things got a little tense."

Another apple slice is pulled out of the bowl.

"What do you call a dictionary on drugs? HIGH-definition."

"Why was Cinderella thrown off the basketball team? She ran away from the ball."

"I'd tell you a chemistry joke but I know I wouldn't get a reaction."

Soon the bowl is empty but still Mai completely lacks any response to what Yasu is saying at all.

"Why did the ghosts put a fence around the cemetery?" He attempts, recognizing the time. "People were dying to get in!"

It starts off sounding like a cough but slowly the little laughter turns into Mai smiling brightly and clutching her stomach.

"Why did the game warden arrest the ghost? He didn't have a haunting license!"

"What did one ghost say to the other? Do you believe in people?"

"What is the one room a ghost's house doesn't need? A living room!"

"What type of food do ghosts eat?"

"Hello?" A nurse opens the door to the hospital room. Seeing Yasu and the smiling Mai, she enters the room. "How are you feeling Mai?" she asks bringing into the room a bin with fluids and pills.

"Better," Mai croaks out almost voiceless.

"That's good. It's time for you to take your next set of pills and I'm gonna set up the IV for the night." Turning toward Yasu, "I'm afraid that visiting hours have ended, sir."

"No problem," Yasu gives the nurse one of his award-winning smiles before leaving the room.

Once out of the hospital, Yasu takes out his phone and sends the video of a smiling and happy Mai to two particular recipients with the message:

 _She's doing just fine. Should be home by the time you get back from helping the queen._ –Yasu

And that night, for the first time since Naru and Gene left for the UK and she had been submitted to the hospital: Mai slept with a smile on her face.

After all:

The Perfect Medicine –Is Laughter!

 **AN: So I know this was a request –like ages ago from** Ghost loves japan 77 **who was the second reviewer for this, and the first request! I finally got to this! My main problem is that I am not very good with jokes so I am sorry for the horrible puns that I dredged up from the depths of the internet –but we found Yasu's weakness: he can't tell a joke and he loves bad puns [primarily because I can't do either and I blame Adrien from Miraculous for constantly telling bad puns].**

 **Still I hope you like it,** Ghost loves japan 77 **, as well you the rest of you readers and please don't be afraid to send requests! No, really, do send some. I sometimes have difficulty coming up with random prompts and it helps a lot to have just a little inspiration!**

 **PS: This will likely be the last update of the year since I am going out of town in a few days, and working the days before it, and by that I mean I won't be coming back until the 2** **nd** **of next year. And for the first update I want to do the first anniversary of our favorite twins and their obsession –therefore if there is anything you, the readers, want to see possibly in said anniversary let me know!**


	15. Dibs!

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Dibs!

 **Prompt:** I saw her first –No, I did!  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

"I saw her first." Identical dark eyes stare into one another with the exact same intensity.

"No! I did!"

"No! I did!"

"Hey! Stop that!"

"I mean it!"

"Ugh!" Identical black eyes break from one another as the two turn their backs to one another.

" _Hic, hic,_ " a soft wail came from not too far from them.

Whipping their heads around just as fast the two young boys with identical black hair see the object of their argument, a young toddler with light brown hair and amber brown eyes, softly begin to cry from their arguing.

Immediately both of them drop to their knees on the worn wooden floors before the young girl and try to comfort her.

"Are you okay?"

"Where does it hurt?"

"What's wrong?"

"Stop copying me!"

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

" _Hic, hic, hic._ "

"Ugh! See she doesn't like you!"

"No! You're making her cry!"

"No! It's your fault."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Boys!" an older voice shouts to them. Entering the corner where the twins and young girl are sitting in Mrs. Finn's presence suddenly allows the two of them to be aware there are no other children in the room. Not that it's entirely unusual –the argument had clearly activated Noll's strange _gift_ leaving half of the room floating mid-air. Ignoring the floating books, vases, and toys Mrs. Finn makes her way to the three children and immediately picks up the smallest and newest addition to the orphanage –barely four-year old Mai. Almost just as immediately the crying stops and with it Noll's high emotional state allowing for all the floating objects to gently thud to the ground.

With a disappointed sigh Mrs. Finn's soft blue eyes bear down on the twins like the weight of an elephant on each of them. "What have I told you boys about arguing?"

"It was his fault!"

"No its not!"

"Yes it is!"

"Boys!"

This silences the room once more. With another disappointed sigh, Mrs. Finn asks: "What is this argument about?

"Mai, she's mine!"

"No, she's mine –I saw her first!

"No I did!"

"But she recognize me –not you!"

"No it was me!"

"BOYS!"

" _Hic, hic_ " Mai softly begins to let tears run past her eyes. Comforting her, while also practically hiding the small girl in her arms from the twin's views, Mrs. Finn whispers "There, there, lass. It's practically time for your nap anyways."

Turning back to the orphanage's only set of twins Mrs. Finn keeps her voice clear: "I don't necessarily know why all of a sudden either of you feel entitled to Mai **but** ," she stress the term at the sight of the two of them opening their mouths, "I don't care. Mai isn't a toy or book boys, she's a real person just like you so arguing and the like is not something that she'll take positively too –and if you can't get along and share her attention, then neither of you will be allowed to play with Mai ever again." With that Mrs. Finn leaves the room to put Mai up for her nap with the other children, leaving behind the two oldest of the orphanage at a mere six years old behind with the jaws dropped.

"Not play with Mai ever?" Gene whispers, "I can't… she can't."

"Mai's mine," Naru declares picking up a book off the ground and placing it back on the shelf, "but if the only way to keep it that way is to _share_ her attention with you, then for now I will allow it."

"Your? I've had dreams about her way longer than you have!" Gene scoffs with a pout as he picks up one of the dolls to put in the toy bin.

"You wish," Naru mutters.

"What was that?" Gene asks.

"I said," Naru puts on his 'Gene' smile and offers out his hand, "Let's have a truce –after all who better to decide than Mai?"

But even as they shake on it both have the same, identical thought:

Dibs! –I Called it First!

 **AN: So this was not the original story that was supposed to be uploaded on January 28** **th** **but as I wrote the "first anniversary" story I found it had better upload date later in the year –so I decided to move this story up. That and there was issues with the internet [it's now up again] and I am behind in school… again [sighs]. So while I am catching up I hope you are all having a better start to the new year than I am!**


	16. First Anniversary

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

First Anniversary! –But for What?

 **Prompt:** It's February 28th! But what's so important about this date?  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

"Uh… Mai, what's that?"

Turning around the ghost crew [John, Ayako, Masako, Monk, Yasu] Mai and Gene mimic a pair of frightened deer facing a pair of headlights even jumping just so lightly.

"Oh! Ah… um…" Mai starts not quiet able to get her mouth wrapped around her head.

"…Nothing…" Gene answers for the both of them snatching his hands behind his back. Which translates to basically doing nothing considering he is only hiding the tail-end of the large and brightly decorated banner –especially considering Mai is still holding up her half above her head while standing on one of the office chairs.

"Ah-ha." Ayako mutters clearly not convinced.

"I –I thought you locked the office door to make sure not could get in!" Mai finally whisper-yells her face flush bright.

"I thought you were going to lock the office door!" Gene whisper-yells back.

"I don't have a key!"

"Neither do I!"

"Um, sorry to interrupt," Yasu cuts in his glasses gleaming to match his evil smirk. "But are the two of you setting up a surprise anniversary party?"

"No!" the two of them exclaim together blushing an even darker shade of red.

"Really?" Yasu presses pointing to the bright blue painted banner reading 'Happy First Anniversary!'

"An anniversary party?" Monk butts in, "Why didn't either of you tell me –you know I could have hooked up guys up with music and entertainment if you had asked!"

"If you don't mind me asking," John softly asks, "what anniversary are you two referring to?"

And that got the ghost crew collectively thinking. Masako knows it been almost three years since the ghost crew had their first official case, at least close to two years since Gene was found, and no less than sixteen months since the threesome became official so what could possibly have happened a year ago that would have two of three through a surprise anniversary party –especially in the office rather than at home and for Naru in particular. Then the thought came to her…

"No… no…" she mutter her face becoming almost as red as cherries, "you can't –you –why would throw a party to openly celebrate such an occasion!" Her exclamation caught the attention of the rest of the ghost crew.

"Do you really think it's such a bad idea?" Mai asks her nervousness taking over. Sure she was naturally not one to think about consequences and go on her instincts first but since she started dating the Davis twins her instincts have been off-kilter more than once.

"Absolutely!" Masako affirms. "If you're going to celebrate such a thing at all it should at least be in the privacy of the space in which the actions occurred –not here!"

"But," Gene starts stepping how from his own chair and placing his end of the banner down on the desk, "this is where it happened."

"Here!" Masako's nose begins to bleed and starts to fall, luckily into Yasu's waiting arms. Coming to only a moment later all she is able to mutter out is, "why?"

Yasu, having caught on to what Masako is referencing gives the ghost crew one of his evil smirks. "My, my, I would not have ever thought that my sweet little Mai and almost equally innocent Gene would have done such devious things here in the office space."

"Huh?" Gene and Mai find themselves completely lose while John, Monk, and Ayako brightly blush.

"Is that…" John starts.

"No wonder we weren't invited," Monk offers.

"I think we should let them be," Ayako sharply whispers now stuck with images of those damn Davis twins doing devilish things to her young Mai, well at least Naru.

"Agreed," Monk and John whisper back.

"Well as a doctor I think I should get Masako back home for some rest –it wouldn't be good for her if she passes out again. We'll just leave you to enjoy your anniversary." Ayako exclaims as Monk and John move to help Masako, still flush quite red, up and to the front door. "Have a good day!" She cheerfully exclaims dragging a pouting Yasu with her before the door closes with a click.

Looking at one another Mai and Gene shrug before getting back to work.

"What was that about?" Mai asks.

"I don't have a clue," Gene responds back, "I mean I would have thought they would have got a kick out of us throwing Naru a one year anniversary party for the first time he acknowledged Valentine's Day in his entire life –especially since he recognized in on February 28th rather than the 14th and got the both of us travel hygiene kits rather than a traditional gift of chocolate or flowers or stuffed animals. Oh, did you pick up the…"

"Sure did," Mai pulls out a little wrapped package from new coffee table, don't ask, "and I got in the same bright blue color as the one's he got the two of us."

"Well at least he won't be able to call it something _'completely impractical especially since we leave for a case tomorrow morning –and this is far more organized than both of you forgetting a toothbrush and accidently using mine for the entirety of the case together as a result.'_ "

"Stop it," Mai belts out between laughs "–You sound too much like him!"

The two promptly then get back to work. Completely forgetting that their friends and co-workers now think the two of them were trying to throw a big party celebrating having sex in the office for the first time.

Meanwhile:

"Lin which travel toothbrush's do you think fit them better?" Bored eyes look over, attention broken from fleeting thoughts of being a flickering convenience store light and knowing one's days are numbered over to his 'boss'. On the left hand is a set of children's toothbrushes depicting smiling cats in two different shades of blue and on the right is a set of children's toothbrushes depicting a blue fairy and a blue dinosaur.

"I do recall Mai telling Gene once how much she liked dinosaur's as a child, and I'm fairly sure your brother still believes in fairies…" _'Although'_ , the rest of the thought goes unsaid, ' _if you really want the two of them not to mix up their toothbrushes with your own –you might want to invest more in different colors rather than all three of you having blue toothbrushes'_.

Looking at his watch Lin sighs realizing he has to keep Naru busy for at least another hour before returning him to the office for the big 'surprise'.

Even if its toothbrushes –at the very least Naru is giving some importance to the idea of anniversaries.

Now if he'd only acknowledge his own birthday.

First Anniversary! –For the First Time Naru Acknowledges Valentine's Day!

 **AN: So originally I wanted to upload this as the first anniversary of the actual story but as I wrote this it seemed to fit better with this date [being after Valentine's Day and all] so I switched it with Dibs!**

 **Another note I would like to make is that I was also thinking of maybe trying to end this collection… sometime next year [yeah, your stuck with me for a little while longer!]. The reason for this is while I wanted to experiment with drabble writing and doing something for a beloved manga and anime series –I'm not very good at either… and I have a lot of large projects I want to do but find myself crunched for time just trying to meet my three updates a month [this collection on 28** **th** **, one-shots on the 7** **th** **, and another collection Mania {all Mania themed for Haikyuu] on the 21** **st** **] with college and work. So I just wanted to get this out to you the readers so if there is any particular idea or prompt you want to see I can add it to the list of prompts and ideas I have and I can try to get all of them done by sometime next year to move on to other projects [and maybe a multi-chaptered Ghost Hunt story or two that I have ideas for].**

 **Otherwise have a good day, and see you all next time!**


	17. The Boy in the Woods

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Boy in the Woods…

 **Prompt:** An idea I should have never pursued…  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

' _What a quiet little town you've led us to, my Friend.'_

 **/6.5.9/**

Two hours outside of Tokyo, in the Gunma Prefecture, a small town hidden in the shadows of the Hotaka Mountain range. Woods, snow, and mountain peaks as far as the eye can see. And a miserable, murky sky –almost identical to the one he would find almost any day of the year back in London.

Staring out, less in hope of seeing the outside world and more in the hope of seeing from within, Noll cannot help but sigh at his… _companion's_ antics.

"Madoka."

Immediately stopping her off tune humming of some random Japanese pop song, a habit she knows slowly drives Lin insane, she turns to him with a smile that appears pure innocence. Noll knows it nothing but evil.

"Yes, Nolly-Noll! What can I do for you?" she exclaims far to chirper for the last hour plus stuck in a confined vehicle with her energy level.

"How far off are we from Akayama?"

"We should be able to see the town in another," looking down at her map, "twenty minutes? Give or take that is." She finishes with one of her dazzling smiles.

' _She has most certainly reached at least my limit for close quarters.'_

"Lin."

A quick eye glance up practically screams for help.

"Pull the car over. A side road, an entrance to a trail –whatever comes up first. I need a walk before the rain starts." The, _both of us need to get away from Madoka_ , comment is left unsaid.

"Understood."

 **/5.9.6/**

' **Run, run, run. Keep running. Run until the mountains are no longer in sight. Run until you find the mirror.'**

"Hai!"

And so she continues. The gray skies above make it difficult to tell how many days she's been running –crossing the various peaks and woods without any real direction other than to continue getting further from it all together. The snow and cool air are something completely new. But then again she is seeing so many new things for what, two, maybe three days now.

It's a good thing Nine is so smart. Between the two of them the plan to get whoever got sent to the Post Office first out has worked well thus far. A memorization of edible roots and finding of rivers has kept her from starvation thus far and if their plan works as well as they estimated it could –she could have another three days before anyone even comes to check on her.

' _And by then I'll be gone.'_

' **Right. And that's when you will be long gone and–'**

' _Begin looking for the mirror. I know Kyuu.'_

' **I was going to say be careful say be careful Mai.'**

' _I will, Kyuu.'_ Closing her amber colored eyes the young girl, Mai, wipes her bloody nose off onto her sleeveless arm feeling the warmth of Kyuu's second mind leaving her body to the cold white winter.

Ignoring it all she treks on, her young body in only a thin, cotton, sleeveless, white dress with only a pair of shorts underneath. Her thin and basically useless white slips help her continue to blend in with the lumps of snow that cover all of the mountain range and surrounding forest while stepping lightly allows her not to have to worry about **them** tracking her by either scent or her barely visible steps filling with fresh snow.

' _Run, run, run. Keep running, Mai, keep running until you find the mirror.'_

 **/9.6.5/**

White. Cold. Winter. Yes. This is what winter feels like. Strange. Different. New. Deep greens, mushed mud trails, and not a sound but light breaths creating a soft fog at the bottom of his view.

Cold. So cold.

Warmth. Closing his eye: hugs, a soft touch of a hand, the warmed metal of the furnace. Warmth. Give her warmth.

Strength. Give her strength. Opening his eyes: the energy to keep running, the burn to get back up once pushed down, the passion to never give up.

' _Run. Run, Mai.'_

 **/6.9.5/**

Five minutes. Barely five minutes down the bloody trail –five minutes just trying to get away from Madoka for the first time in five bloody days since leaving the UK.

' _I'm not even in England –so why can't I escape this bloody rain!'_ Noll thinks begrudged as he takes cover under one of the trees in an attempt to avoid getting soaked.

 **Boom!**

Lightning flashes across the practically black sky. One might find a hard time to belief it was barely noon with how dark the sky is getting.

Crossing his arms Noll rolls his eyes at his luck and leans against the bark. No doubt it would take a while for the weather to lighten up, so one might as well get comfortable as possible.

' _At least the rain isn't snow.'_ Ever the optimist.

And that's how it stays –thunder, lightning, constant heavy rain –for a while.

 _Rustle. Crack._

"Ahh!" A young voice cries out not far from Noll's position. Barely even having to turn Noll can see, right beyond his position under the tree a small mud slide rushing downhill –right at him.

"Bloody hell!" Unfortunately with all his brains including already having his BA at 12, his hormonal and growing body is not quite up to speed. But luckily the mud slide is indeed small and other than getting half buried in mud the teen genius comes off clean. Pulling himself out of the slippery mess is easy enough but only makes him hate the direction the day is going in even more so.

 **Boom!**

And that's when he sees it. In the lighting of several flashes of lightning: an unconscious child, in a thin mud-covered cloth, and half buried under the mud. In the flashes of the dim, but only light source, strikes of lightning a tattooed V on the inner left wrist is revealed as the rain washes the layer of mud away.

 **/9.6.5/**

' _You've found one another.'_

The Boy in the Woods… And the Girl with a Number

 **AN: As for this chapter you can take the prompt as both literally me and Naru saying it. A Stranger Things AU with the cast of Ghost Hunt –what the hell am I thinking? But once I started I just had to try it out. Please share with me what you think and whether this idea might be worth pursuing further or not! And yes the numbers mean something. And no I don't think in this situation any of the story would parallel any of the actual episodes of Stranger Things –though it is taking place around the same time –which is why Naru doesn't have a phone and Madoka is using a map not a GPS.**


	18. The way ahead is long and dangerous

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

"The way ahead is long… and dangerous."

 **Prompt:** Superhero AU  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

"Your Absolute," a voice calls out.

"Yes," white eyes turn toward the other, taking in the child's light blue skin, "spiritualist?" The absolute waves off the guards – _individuals designed to protect, not to think_ –and their report of the damaged caused to the cores by the interdimensional beasts.

"We have completed your assignment, my other awaits in the chamber with the life-weaver." The spiritualist – _individuals designed to give death, assist in dispelling of energy, and shaping of the outer shells to match the inner soul_ –marked by the characteristic light blue skin – _always being born between two shells and their shared inner soul_ –explains with a soft smile.

That smile. "Splendid, Gene," the absolute stands from the control center acknowledging the shell holding **gene** – _emotions_ –and begins a descent down towards and then past the spiritualist knowing full and well however much the absolute – _in this form with hair of gold, eyes of blue sapphires, and skin of white marble_ –wishes to walk side-by-side with fellow siblings that they are not designed for such things. All must fall behind the absolute – _there is no entity in existence worthy of walking beside the absolute_ –and the only other absolute that will ever exist will only come to the living once the previous has perished.

The walk down the golden halls is silent as no fellow sibling will look upon the absolute, and none will see the soft smile their ruler offers to them.

Gold soon bleeds to the green of the life-weavers – _individuals designed to give life, assist in concentrating energy, and healing the outer shell_ –and, by turning to a small hall on the left, green abruptly splits into the same soft blue as Gene.

In the small enclave off the hallway is a birthing chamber stripped both blue and green – _the first of its kind, to give and to take_ –matching the division of green and blue materials in the space and the other blue spiritualist standing on the right with the green life-weaver standing on the left.

"Ayako, Noll," the absolute greets the outer shells. **A** for _healing_ , **ya** for _concentration_ , and **ko** for _design_ –ayako a life-weaver designed primarily in healing, then concentration of energy, and lastly in designs –exactly what the absolute required for this experiment. And _noll_ – _logic_ –the other shell containing a spiritualist.

"Your Absolute." They acknowledge him back, as they do Gene walks from behind to the right side of the birthing chamber by the other-self.

Stepping closer the absolute peaks within the see-through panel in front of the birthing chamber and comes face to face with the child – _and individual who has not been fully programmed yet and while living is not active_ –of a design of only the absolute. It had taken time, but, as the absolute stares upon the sleeping child, it has truly been time well spent. The absolute steps back to take in the full scope of the design breathing and sleeping in real life.

"We are ready to take the next step, Your Absolute," Noll offers in monotone.

"How long?"

"It will take a Luna-cycle to gather the energy needed from the cores for the awakening." Ayako responds. A Luna-cycle, the moon that takes the longest to rotate round the absolute and ten times the length of time it takes for the usual individual design, which usually happens by following an Artemis-cycle.

"You don't have that much already prepared?" the absolutes eye's do not leave the child. This unnerves the three designs –the absolute asking unnecessary questions.

"Your Absolute," Noll in monotone responses first, "the interdimensional beast has not allowed for the concentration of the usual amount of energy for cycles."

"Yeah," Gene continues, "That's why you had to hire those bandits that are coming –remember? To stop the energy shortage."

"I remember. _But_ ," the absolute stresses looking from the child, "this child was designed to do that very task –protect. The energy should have been prepared months ago when the design was first beginning." At this the life-weaver drops their gaze to the floor in submission.

"It matters not," the absolute continues softly, "as soon as this child awakens we will no longer be designed to need assistance from imperfect models."

The absolute turns and begins to walk away.

"Your Absolute!" Emotion. Gene.

The absolute turns, "Yes, Gene?"

"To prepare for the invocation and awakening spiritualists need the name of the soul and shell." Gene turns gaze to the birthing chamber. "What is the child programmed to respond to?"

"The soul to invoke is Mai. The shell however is Her."

 **Her.** The first protector – _an individual designed to protect all under the absolute_. And –undenounced to all but the designer of the shell, programmer of knowledge, and the very individual who saw the child in a dream –the absolute, _an evolving entity_.

Her.

The child that shall bring the absolute to a new dawn.

Soon.

 _Soon._

 _But will it be soon enough?_

"I'll have no one with me who doesn't want to come."

 **AN: So this past month has been crazy with school work –but hey, this is one of the longer pieces and one of my favorite to date. By the way the quote at the top and bottom refers to the theory about the location of the soul stone in the Avengers Universe based on where it originally was in the 70s, 80s, and 90s [depending upon the comic or arc of the Infinity war against Thanos] –and to not spoil anything [its literally a 'where was the soul stone in the comics' search on google and a watching of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 click away] I won't say who said the quote or give any more information than I did [but this theory is also Film Theory certified by the time this little story is actually updated, they have also been very wrong and right about the Star Wars franchise –so take it as you will].**

 **I hope you all have a good day! Also, can you guess who everyone is? And I wasn't trying to make it too hard –so it should be easy!**

 **PS. This makes more sense if you actually look up who has had the soul stone in like every universe since basically the beginning of Infinity Gauntlet or idea in the Marvel Comics and even to date about certain choices or have seen the MCU –but I think I was able to write it AU enough for you to be able to enjoy the story without prior knowledge**

 **PSS. Don't spoil it if you know what I am referencing in the reviews. Especially if you have seen Infinity War or read the comics.**

 **PSSS. I know I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure at this point this is the direction the MCU is going in.**

 **PSSSS. I wrote the prompt for this months ago after we started getting the first teasers for Infinity War and I was going to upload it as the end of May –but Avengers bumped it up the writing of the piece to today because they decided to release the day my April upload –so that is why it is so soon before then and I have not seen the film yet either.**

 **PSSSSS. My prompt for this was literally: Superhero AU, featuring Mai as Him [and not the PowerPuff kind].**


	19. The Perfect Crime II

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Perfect Crime II

 **Prompt:** The perfect crime –and what could go wrong: the sequel.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

A perfectly seamless Prinsesstårta. Light green marzipan covered the perfect dome of whipped cream and stood before him with a perfect covering of sugared snow. Who knew that such beauty and temptation, sitting innocently in his own –excuse his language –bloody apartment, would be poisoned? He didn't.

And now here he is. Coughing up, after vomiting on the floor, and attempting to reach his phone sitting just as innocent as the cake on the charger by the couch Gene doesn't notice the bathroom door opening or the arrival of Mai.

Blinking twice Mai takes in the scene, a tragedy in Gene's own terms, with humor. After all it's not often, even if Gene is the silly one, to see either one of her boyfriend's doing something so... so… dumb.

"Gene," she giggles out still just standing outside the bathroom doorway, "what are you doing?"

"Mai," he gurgles out, "I'm dying…"

Rolling her eyes Mai walks over to the scene of the crime, the crime in question being the murder of Gene Davis. "Come on, let's sit you down."

After setting him on the couch and getting him both an empty bowl, a glass of cold water, and a wet cloth for his slightly green face. "Feeling better?" Mai asks watching him sip the water. Gene nods his eyes closed. "Good. Can you tell me what you ate this time to get your stomach on the kitchen floor?"

"Poisoned cake…" he moaned out pointing towards the evil Prinsesstårta with one slice taken out.

"You mean the cake me and Naru made this morning? I'm pretty sure it came out perfect –I mean… Naru followed all of my instructions to the 't' even bothering to make sure the dome was perfect." Mai rambled on as she went over to take a bite of the world's greatest deception herself. Taking a bite from the cake herself Mai chewed and… chewed while Gene watched with another churn of his stomach threatening to erupt.

"It tastes fine," Mai finally expresses, "I mean it's not perfect, but definitely better then where we started when I began to teach him how to not blow up the kitchen. I mean the only thing the Narcissist got wrong was grabbing the salt instead of the sugar in the cake. Still he's done worse."

Both immediately shudder in remembrance of the Green Curry incident.

"I guess," Gene starts not wanting to admit it, "my stomach is still a _little_ sensitive after the… ah… incident." Even though it's been almost two year now since he got his body back Gene had to go through a slew of challenges –getting his body to follow his commands, learning how to deal with the weight of having a body again, and of course keeping his soul in his body –but some of the most mundane one's ironically got to him the most. Like learning to keep more complicated food, baked goods includes, in his stomach and not on the kitchen/living room/dining room/bedroom/etc. floor.

"You know what that means then," Mai commented giving him the look.

Throwing his head back Gene lets out a loud groan. _'Bloody salt, Naru –bloody salt! I will get my revenge Naru!'_

.

By the time Naru got home from a late conference call with several BSPR agents he had been consulting on a case he did not expect the sight he saw.

It was like looking into a mirror. And one he didn't like the idea of looking into.

"Naru," a grumpy, and therefore identical looking to Naru, Gene rumbled from his seat on the couch with empty bowl still in hand.

"What happened?"

"Your perfect crime," Gene points to the not-so-perfect cake pissed that he'll be on a simple-food diet of broths, soups, rice, and nothing sweet for at least a week.

The Perfect Crime II –Poison Cake

 **AN: So I've done tea for Naru and now cake for Gene –what could possibly be the perfect crime for Mai?**


	20. Withdrawal

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Withdrawal

 **Prompt:** It's February 28th! But what's so important about this date?  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

It started like the summer monsoons. _With a bright sky and a calm breeze –the kind of weather that usually anyone barely notices, and then: BOOM! Thunder out of nowhere, lightning bright against a suddenly black sky._

 _And no matter how much we tried, how much we prayed, how much we ran –we could not escape._

 _And, as we found out, rather than the storm dissipating with time –it grew, and grew, and grew._

 **Hour –1**

"Thank you all for meeting me here today," Mai says as she sits in the darkened SPR office where everyone, two individuals excluded, has gathered this fine Sunday morning.

"No problem, Mai," Yasu exclaims taking a seat right next to her. "So Boss, what's with the top-secret-don't-tell-the-Big-Boss-and-Sugar-Daddy-meeting?"

"Well you see," Mai begins nervously, "I have a mission for all of you…"

 **Hour 136**

"Help! Help!" Ayako screams scratching at the now locked door. "Don't leave me! Open the door, open the door!" She begins to bang on the door and push –even kicking the door handle and lock in the hopes of opening it.

But it won't budge.

" _A-_ _ **y**_ **a** -ko."

"Oh, fuck," she whispers dropping to her knees and crying uncontrollably.

And then there were two.

 **Hour 98**

"I just don't really see what the big deal is," Masako voices putting her sleeve in her face. "I doubt that Mai was being serious with her request either –it's not as they can't look after themselves."

"That doesn't change the fact that you _lost_ them!" Ayako releases a frustrated sigh. "And to top it off, neither Yasu nor Father Brown are responding to their texts. Honestly, Monk I would understand, but those two… it's just not like them. And it's not like we sent them out with that long of a list either…"

"I think worrying too much can cause crinkles in the skin."

"Yeah well you're no help."

"Well at least I'm–"

The door to the apartment slams open.

 **Hour 34**

"Good morning, everyone!" Gene greets as the team enters the office. Considering it being the second day the twins have gone without Mai for the first time in a long time most of the members were confused as Gene's genuine good mood.

"Ohayo to you too!" Yasu greets back with just as much affection and pleasure, eagerly rubbing up against the more affectionate twin. "So how did my Sugar Daddy sleep last night?" He asks with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Not a wink!" Gene answers to the same beat.

"Really?" Monk cuts in worried, especially after the warning the group was given over a day ago.

"Uh-huh," the same happy mode replies back. "But that's okay –I'm used to it and all, you know, considering," he nods his head to his brothers office, which had the door closed, and then winks back to the group, "someone I know."

"So," Gene pulls his arms behind his back and leans forward, "what can I get you all to drink?"

"Well t–" Monk starts.

"Nothing!" Father Brown, Yasu, and Ayako answer smothering Monk at the same time.

"I'll take a coffee, three creams and four sugars," Masako answers. Nodding Gene leaves the room. Looking back at the pile of her other coworkers she rolls her eyes and sits in the seating area. "Honestly all of you are just so paranoid. I doubt that Mai's request of us had any merit. I mean honestly how dangerous can it be to mention the words 'tea' and 'Mai' around either of the Davis twins while she's gone for the week."

" **What about Mai/tea?"** Both twins ask at the same time as Gene returns from the kitchen and Naru stands in the doorway of his office.

"Damn, and I had money on us at least getting through the first forty-eight hours too," Yasu complains.

 _And so, we are sorry our dear friend Mai as we write this to you –we failed at our mission._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The later SPR._

 **THE WITHDRAWAL –COMING TO YOUR FF CHANNEL SOON**

 **AN: This wasn't supposed to be set up like a trailer or a letter. Oops? Also this month's update fell on a day when I worked from 5AM to noon and then has class all evening and wouldn't get home to late –so sorry for the late update! And at least I didn't forget!**

 **Also I hate summer classes at my college –six week class' suck! I have to get used to a completely different schedule all over again!**


	21. Lin's Daydream Two

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Lin's Daydream Two

 **Prompt:** Ever wonder what Lin is thinking behind his statue-like personality? He daydreams! Welcome to the wonderful and wacky internal world of what Lin is doing when no one notices him or he just ignores the world!  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene, other pairings possibly in the future

 _What would it be like to smile?_

 _Painful probably,_ is the first thought that comes to mind. All those muscle, as small as they are, situated around his mouth actually having to do _something_ for the first time in years –something other than actively avoiding discourse or moving in any direction at all?

And people who smile all the time…

 _Doesn't it hurt?_ He used to ask quite a bit as a child. Growing up he never really got it –the act of smiling. Is anyone ever actually that happy for that long to smile all day, every day?

Lin certainly has never met someone who was that happy. Even the two most "smiley" people he's known for years, Madoka and Gene, were never that happy. Madoka he knows mostly smiles because she has to work with people all day and generally want's others to underestimate her in their interactions. And Gene? Rain or shine the boy will keep even the smallest of smiles on his face regardless of how happy or sad he is –a habit he picked up in the orphanage, Lin is certain, in order to better appeal himself and brother to potential families despite their _unusualness_.

So should he smile? So many of those around him have proven you can smile when you aren't happy –and Noll has proven you don't have to ever smile even if you _are_ happy.

But… it's not as if Lin has any memory of smiling.

…So it shouldn't be a bad thing to try?

…

…

"AHHH!" Someone screams in the distance.

…

…

 _This hurts…_

… _What's the big deal about smiling anyways?_

Lin's Daydream Two –Is smiling the Second-Coming of Satan?

 **AN: …Is it? I mean imagine Lin** _actually_ **smiling! I'd run for the hills –wouldn't all of you?**

 **PS. I imagine the person screaming in the background to be Monk… don't ask why I pick him for my mental image –and hey, comment below if you envisioned someone different, I kept it vague for a reason!**


	22. Scandalous!

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Scandalous!

 **Prompt:** Naru, Gene, and Mai move in together –scandalous!  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene, other pairings possibly in the future

Scandals. Everyone loves them, hates them, and simply cannot escape them. But for the crew at SPR scandals are the one thing that Naru avoids the most. So when Mai asks [ _begs_ ] the team to help her out on a cool, spring afternoon with moving into her new apartment –this is one scandal they did not expect.

* * *

After a long day of lifting boxes and haphazardly placing them one top of one another in the proximate place said box is labeled to belong there was absolutely nothing better than being paid in as many cups of Mai's infamous teas, the delightful mochi cakes she prepared for all of them in chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla, and her just as infamous to the ghost hunting crew: Tsukemen –a dish of freshly made cold noodles served in this instance with a steaming beef broth and a selection of sides including spinach, leeks, tofu, chicken, boiled eggs, tomatoes, and fresh seaweed. The entire crew came out to help Mai with the move and now in the late evening were currently sitting around the dining table of the rather large one bedroom, one bath, with open concept apartment that sits on eighth floor of a luxurious building only minutes from the main office.

"Wow boss! If this is the feast we get every time you have to move, sign me up for the next one now!" Yasu teases through his exaggerated moans at each bite.

"Thanks Yasu, but I don't think I'll be moving again anytime soon," Mai answers as she brings over a fresh batch of tea.

"Definitely an upgrade over your last place," Monk comments pouring himself a second cup of tea.

"Yes," Masako starts bring her traditional kimono sleeve up to cover part of her face –why she wore a kimono while 'helping' with a move still confuses most of the gang –before continuing with: "this is an improvement over your last place, but I have to ask this apartment seems _expensive_ –especially for a high school student only working part time."

"Oh, thanks Masako! It's so rare you show an form of worry for my person," Mai gives a slightly sarcastic smile back as she pours three cups of tea before sitting at the end of the table. "But don't worry the apartments covered."

Right at that moment, before Masako can comment once more, one of the only two internal doors in the apartment, this one from the bedroom, opens to reveal the Davis' twins.

"The bed is _FINALLY_ put together," Gene exaggerates as he slugs himself to the seat just right of Mai at the end of the table and grabs one of the three cups she prepared. Following behind him is his grouchier brother, Naru the Narcissist who sits on Mai's left and takes another one of the three cups previously prepared. In addition to Naru's usual brand of grouchy-is-my-happy was a dark look that only spelt d-r-e-a-d to his colleagues.

With no one else bothering to attempt to talk to him as Mai prepares his bowl, even though through eye-glares Akayo, Monk, and Yasu were daring one another to do so, John finally asks, with only the innocence that he possesses, "What's wrong, Davis-san?"

…Silence… like Lin-level silence…

"I despise moving."

"Like with the passion of a thousand sun's level," Gene adds rushed between his inhaling of noodles, broth, and toppings. "This is great Mai!"

At the exact same time, however, Mai comments: "Stop complaining already! Once we're done it's not like we'll be moving again any time soon."

"Yeah," Gene agrees with a smile, not the sweet kind –the kind that the ghost hunting gang have come to learned means _'I'm annoyed and readying to explode on you but I'm also polite_ ' –but the one that means trouble, "I mean it's not like we could have had this done months ago if someone wasn't so bloody picky about every little detail! It's not like if we had moved in on time we could have celebrated our first Christmas together or something! Oh, and it's not like the three of us would have had to squeeze into a full-sized bed at Mai's place for the last two months when our lease ran–"

"We have a king-size to share now." Naru cuts his brother off.

 **SNAP!**

The entire room's attention shifts from the brewing storm between the super powered twins to Masako sitting at the other end of the table with half of her chopsticks still clutched in her palm and the other half she snapped off floating in her noodle bowl.

"What?" She whispers the question so quietly with her left eye twitching on reflex. Around the table the various group members have similar if not completely different reactions. Yasu is still eating to cover up his all-knowing smirk, Lin is staring off into the distance as indifferent as a statue, Ayako may have lost her jaw if fell so far down, and Monk doesn't seem to even be breathing… Does anyone know CPR?

And Father John Brown… in only the complete and utterly innocent manner that he can asks: "Isn't this apartment going's to be Mai's new home?"

"Of course!" Gene immediately answers with a bright smile that could kill demons on sight as well as purify any earthbound spirits. "But all three of us are moving in! Haven't you guys noticed all the boxes labeled books and equipment or even clothes?! What? You guys think minimalist-living-on-a-budget Mai really owns that much –much less has all of it organized?" He finishes jabbing a thumb towards his lesser-half with a wink.

"You can't move in together!" Masako exclaims jumping to her feet.

"Why is that any of your business," Naru comments disinterested with the discussion.

"Your two boys, who are related, and one girl, who is of no relation, sharing one bedroom and bathroom apartment while not having an active relationship –much less marriage! And your all going to be sharing one bed?!"

"Their engaged," Lin comments –reminding the world he is indeed not a statue.

" **What!"** Masako, Ayako, Monk, and John exclaim with the last three joining the first in standing on their feet.

Yasu meanwhile just claps and whistling in congratulations of the happy couple of three. "I love the matching silver ring necklaces, darlings, really brings out the subtleness of the relationship," he cheers in a posh British accent.

It is at that moment that Masako loses consciousness, John becomes a confuses and muttering mess at the slightly incestuous three-way, and Monk and Ayako become protective parents not wanting to give their [adopted] daughter away for marriage.

"So," Yasu starts pouring himself another cup, "The three of you really can all fit into a king-size together? And what are the sleeping arrangements –is it a rule that Mai has to be in the middle to avoid any awkwardness in the morning?" That predatory smirk beings to grow on his face.

"Oh, Yasu," Gene rests his head on one leaning hand at the table giving a just as equally predator-of-a-smirk, his other hand fingering the ring around his neck, "I thought you never ask."

"Idiots," Naru whispers under his breath before taking a sip of tea to cover up a small smile.

Wrapping her arm around him and leaning into his warmth Mai whispers back with a bright smile at the mostly stuttering mess of her new family, "There our idiots, and this is our home."

Scandalous: The Move!

 **AN: This story is brought you, in part, by** soulsborne123 **whose scandalous comment really got me thinking about this topic, you have any other ideas for future scandalous activities these three should get into –let me know! And also don't forget to drop in the review section any story idea that comes to mind includes AU's! See you all next month!**

 **P.S. While going through one of my old flash-drives I found the prompt and ideas for this story already written and somehow I had left it there and forgotten it for like almost a year [*cough*cough actually two cough*cough]… here you go** soulsborne123 **! I have no idea how this ended up on a flash-drive and not with the rest of my prompts on my laptop but I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **P.S.S. The internet gave me so many problems trying to upload this** _ **all day long!**_


	23. Little Edo AU

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

"Dear Diary,"

 **Prompt:** Bizenghast AU  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

"I'm starting to feel that I'm not like other people."

 _There_ , I sigh having finished writing in my "diary" as the doctor puts it. Apparently Dr. Matsuzaki thought it would help me center myself better into _reality_ from **fiction** if I wrote in journal first thing in the morning every morning before I bothered to do anything else…

…Like swallow a bottle's worth of pills that are supposed to… " _manage_ "… my " **problems** "…

Either way with my one sentence done, and my signature as well as the date placed at the bottom of the page I can finally start my day right.

Getting out of bed I walk across the small white bedroom space the hospital has provided me since the accident. See, when I was roughly six years old my father was driving me and my mom to the hospital so she could deliver my baby sister. It was raining that night. But of course it was –it was typhoon season.

What's a typhoon? Oh, I forgot you're not from around here. It's a hurricane basically, we just use a different term around here. I don't know why. Maybe I'll ask Dr. Matsuzaki later if you remind me.

The story? Yeah, I have no problem continuing it. See I don't really remember my parents all that well anyway because I suffered some major brain trauma, that's what the doctors told me, so I'm better able to cope with them being gone because for me it's like they were never there to begin with.

So that night it was raining real bad and visibility was so low that I dad didn't see a deer that was crossing the road. Why was there a deer? My family lived in a more rural village and the shortest route to the hospital was through a highway bordered by forest. To be honest I feel worse for the deer than my parents too. No your question's don't bother me –though I should hurry along. The doctors don't like it when I break routine.

Pulling out a white long-sleeve cotton button-down, a white bra, and white sweatpants the hospital has provided for me to wear from a white metal storage unit, like the ones used to file documents, I get dress.

No, I don't mind if you watch. Honestly, it's actually refreshing to have an audience that actually asks a question like that. Most of my visitors don't care about stuff like that.

So by the end of the night the deer died, my father died, my mother died, I lived –and the real kicker my sister was stillborn. Her twin brother on the other hand, the one that hid himself behind his dying sister on the grainy ultrasound photos, he lived. His name?

Shrugging I open the door by my dresser and enter into a small, yellow-tiled, bathroom.

I don't know his name. No one ever told me. Though… I can't remember if I ever asked either. Who knows? He might already be dead. One day he might even come to visit me.

Now for the hardest part of my day.

I close the door allowing myself it be in the dark, barely illuminated, puke yellow room. A toilet is in the corner to my right, a small bathtub and white curtain is in the corner on my left, and directly in front of me is a counter with a sink in the center surrounded by my various toiletries. Straight above it is a medicine cabinet with a broken mirror.

Let's see what you've brought for me, Mr. It was Just a Late Night Walk.

Opening the medicine cabinet I find my present. It's actually not that banged up or even bruised. A pristine specimen. Especially for someone run who was run over by a car and then had their body dumped into a pond.

 _Picking the gift up I place it on and twist it around three times before it feels just right. Closing the cabinet I look into the mirror. Of course it wants to work now and not before. Staring back at me is a handsome face with dark features typical of someone with Asian descent._

How does it look?

Really? It's not strange for you? Oh! An identical twin! Really? That's super neat. I don't think I've ever had any twin visit me before. But hey, now it's like you're part of a set again!

I'm sorry. I didn't think before I blurted that thought out. Please forgive me…

…Hey, I ask leaving the bathroom and crossing my room back to where my bed is, do you want to see something cool?

I pull back the white curtains and peak out into the reality that has haunted me forever. At first it will look just like any modern urban city in Japan, especially like the pictures you see online of Tokyo. But concentrate and see it through our eyes.

 **The skyline shifts until skyscrapers become fiction, paved roads become fiction, and the noise of the city that never sleeps becomes fiction. Fiction.**

 _Dirt roads are what I generally notice as reality first. Then the machiya, townhouses, and shrines rise into reality. Finally the people –walking in kimonos, rising horses, and carriages return to reality. Reality._

This, my friend Gene, I say looking at his headless body as I ironically smile having used his head for my own today, is my home –this is _Edo_.

And…

…Time passes in every town… except one.

 **AN: So my practicum started this month… and the school is pretty far from my home… and traffic was terrible today… plus unpacking once I get home, cooking dinner, getting cleaned up, and fiddling with the crappy internet to be able to upload… sorry it is so late in the day? At least it is late where I live…**

 **So, have a good night?**

 **PS. The rest of this is just me geeking out about topics other than Ghost Hunt. Caution advised.**

 **First, Bizenghast for those who do not know is one of my favorite series ever and one of the first manga series I ever read and is by M. Alice LeGrow a German-born but later on American-raised manga artist. The series was published by TokyoPop [a company I despise for many reasons including forcing this series to end before the second or third arcs that the author wanted to do and then stopped translating half a dozen different series and basically pulling out of America for a couple of years]. Though not from Japan many still consider the series to be a manga because of its art-style and set-up which is also influenced by gothic themes and horror in general. I first encountered the series back in middle school and have recently found out that the author is returning to both to continuing the story and creating new series.**

 **For lovers of Bizenghast you can find** The Riddle Road **on Etsy self-published by her along with additional Bizenghast content at her shop: Punko's Fun Co. Or at Lulu as a completed edition. She also has a series of comics published** Toyetica **that can be found at comic stores or on Amazon. And the best part is she just started a series on Webtoons called** Stagtown **that is the spiritual "successor" to Bizenghast in terms of what-the-f*ckness, horror, dark, and creepy that has the first story already completed and a second one coming soon!**

 **Second, Bizenghast itself is a story of Dinah Wherever who moved to Bizenghast due to unfortunate circumstances and is believed by many to be going insane… that is until she finds out just how much she would rather be insane than be right…**

 **Let's just say some citizens of Bizenghast are just** dying **to come home. The Cursed House level of dying to come home.**

 **Third, this is all based just on the first ad I found in the back of one of the manga at my middle school's library that led me to Bizenghast in the first place. One ad.**


	24. All Hallows Eve

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

All Hallows Eve

 **Prompt:** It's October 31! But why is this date so important?  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

It had been a long day. Heck, it's been a long week. Their most recent case had been long –lasting for three weeks and the SPR team tried to figure out why an elementary school suddenly had dozens of child possessions. Turns out one of the schools former students turned out to be a psychopath –with spiritual abilities no less –who had grown to hate school. _Yay!_

' _At least it's over,'_ Gene thinks as he reaches the front door of his, Naru's, and Mai's apartment. Unlocking the door the only thing Gene can think about is eating something delish Mai has put together and falling asleep. Maybe, just maybe, if he has the energy yelling at his twin for abandoning him to the team to drive the four-hour ride, on a two hour route, back home because somehow _Yasu_ of all people got them lost and he had to suffer through Monk and Ayako bickering without his brother or sweet Mai. Yeah, he should–

Cinnamon.

Sweet and spicy, the familiar scent of Cinnamon.

Taking off his shoes it is unavoidable to notice the wooden broom, made of sticks bound with string giving off the enticingly strong scent, as it lays in the corner of the step-down. Stepping up into the rest of the apartment Gene's jaw drops.

His home had been transformed.

First he notices the alter in the right corner of the open-living space. Sitting by the alter where Mai's family photos sit is not the traditional bowl of rice or incense but a wooden bowl with an apple, a pomegranate, a slice of pumpkin pie, several thistles, nuts, and a round loaf of bread. Placed on either side of the small alter is a pair of wooden chairs.

Turning around he jumps lightly at, of all things, Mai. Out of seemingly nowhere –or perhaps he was too involved in taking in the new sights –she had appeared right next to him.

He didn't know what to do. Tears were welling up in his eyes. Things had been so crazy he had forgotten what date it was. So he hugged her and held her tight. He doesn't know how long he holds here close to him before Naru inevitably coughs to get his attention.

Looking up he can see his brother sitting their dining table. The table is set with hollowed out gourds in the shapes of wisps with aquamarine gems surrounding them, and multiple candles with painted wax patterns, around the round top are five seats rather than the usual three.

Without a word he smiles and gleefully drags Mai with him to the table. Already placed are his favorites to celebrate the final celebration of the harvest. Cranberry muffins, poached pears with sage, spiced meat, fresh bread, and spiced apple juice.

He sits in his usual spot and Mai in hers, right between each brother. Both Naru and Mai nod to him, as the sun begins to set over the horizon. The 31st has past, as night comes it is November 1st, the death of the God has begun and the Goddess has risen to attend his vigil.

He recites the prayer he remembers from childhood, "All Hallows Eve is has begun, cold is the earth, as we celebrate the cycle of death and rebirth. Tonight we speak to those through the veil, as the lines between worlds are thin and frail.

"Tonight I gather to honor my ancestors. Spirits of those who have passed, I call to you, and welcome you to join us for this night. As the sun goes down, far to the west, my ancestors watch over me as I rest. They keep me safe and without fear, protecting and guiding me, and tonight I thank you.

"I thank you on the night of Samhain, as your blood runs through my veins, as your spirit rests within my heart, as your memories live on in my soul. With offerings of remembrance, I remember all of you. You are dead but never forgotten, and you live on within me, and within those who are year to come.

"To the goddess on this night of death, who lingers tonight in vigil, ever so keeping a watchful eye upon us the living, as you wait patiently, for eternity is yours –I hail to you! I hail to you, Oh goddesses, at this time of cold and dark, I honor you and ask that you watch over all of us and protect the cycle of day and night, summer and winter, light and dark, life and death –for you son, consort, and guide will return again when the cycle comes to pass. For you grief I offer a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold your own, and an offering of remembrance. Winter is here for it is the Witches' New Year!

" **Here, here!"** Naru and Mai cheer in union.

All Hallows Eve –Happy New Year!

 **AN: So… I'm Wiccan and in a few days it's gonna be my New Years… and I just didn't feel like doing something "Halloween" or horror… I hope you like it? And before anyone asks no I don't get to these traditions currently because of my living situation but I do plan on celebrating this major holiday like this in the future!**

 **Also –I imagine that regardless of upbringing Naru only believes in science and Mai grew up in Japan with Shintoism and Buddhism –so Gene seems like the most likely one to be potentially religious, much less Wiccan. Wicca is a religion I could easily see him picking up in England [after being adopted] or America [prior to adoption]. Also I just wanted to put the spot light on Gene for once, I feel like more often than not I haven't focused on him because Naru's more fun to make fun of –so, to Gene!**

 **The once character I truly wish that freaking anime had gotten around to! Here, here!**

 **And, from one solidary Wick too the many readers to come, Happy New Years!**


	25. The Accent Incident

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Accent Incident…

 **Prompt:** Why does Naru not talk with a British accent?  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

"What the heck is that sound?" Monk asks putting his cup of tea down.

"Nani?" Mai asks taking a seat down herself, all the tea distributed.

"Can't you hear it? That faint mumbling?"

"Oh, Naru's in his office on the phone with his mother."

"Still –what language is that?" Monk continues as the two of them sit.

"It's English –why?"

"I don't know," Monks starts, "It just _sounds_ different especially from how John talks."

"Well," John offers, "I do speak with an Australian accent, so the pronunciation and vocabulary can be fairly different."

"Okay, but then what kind of English is Naru talking in? It doesn't sound similar to what he usually sounds like when reading aloud sections of English books to the rest of us."

"Well," Mai begins, "Naru's mother is British. I've noticed that whenever she or their father calls both Naru and Gene change their pronunciation of words and what they call them. One time the two started talking about how lovely some 'flat' looked in brown and I was just completely confused the whole time but played along. It was only after they hung up that Gene explained to me a 'flat' is British for apartment."

"Really?" Ayako asks.

Both John and Mai nod.

"Yeah, the situations much the same for me over in Australia. Some of the words we use are the same as in America and the UK and others are fairly different. In Australia we use the word flat as well. Though I wonder," John trails off.

"Wonder what?" Ayako asks.

"Oh, nothing." John smiles softly. "I was just curious as to why we never here Naru talk with that accent regularly. Both his and Gene's Japanese is so good you can barely tell they aren't native speakers."

"Well that not entirely true. Actually," Mai stands and walks quietly over to Naru's office, "I might be able to let you hear it at full force," and opens the door. "Naru," she calls sweetly, "do you want a fresh cup of tea?"

" _Yes one would like a cuppa. And don't bloody bodge it like you do for your mates!"_ Naru responds in an accent that makes him sound as though he's pronunciation French words and not English

" _Got it,"_ Mai returns in English before closing the door and walking over to the kitchenette.

"What in the world did he just say?" Monk asks dumbfounded.

"Whatever it was," Ayako starts while fanning herself in exaggeration, "I'm glad Masako wasn't here to hear how sexy he sounded."

The Accent Incident… AKA, Why We Never Hear Naru Talk with a British Accent

 **AN: Haven't you ever wondered why in the English version of the series Naru still doesn't have a British accent –despite being raised in Britain most of his life and having adopted British parents?**

 **PS. I don't speak British and I was going for the "posh" accent which has origins in France taking over England and the upper class imitating the pronunciation of terms, dropping terms like 'I' for 'one', and a whole bunch of vocabulary we aren't used to in the States.**

 **PSS. Cuppa = cup of tea. Bloody = very. Bodge = fix in a clumsy manner [so not fixed at all].**

 **PSS. My answer to the reason why we don't here Naru with a British accent is he realized that people aren't as offended when you verbally abuse them in a "sexy" accent.**

 **PSSS. I thought I uploaded this yesterday, I really did. But apparently I did not. I am so, so, so sorry!**


	26. Calendar Dilemma

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Calendar Dilemma

 **Prompt:** It is that time of year again.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

"Mai!"

Waking up with a groan, Mai pulls herself out of bed and rubs one eye while yawning loudly. Looking over at the alarm clock she finds it reads 2:35 AM in bright red coloring. Rolling her eyes she moves from her spot in the middle of the shared king-size bed, slips on her slippers, and heads over to the living space.

"What?" She yawns already annoyed at her two lovers. The said two lovers are sitting at the dining table fully dressed and having a staring contest over a pile of papers.

"Mai, would you tell Gene/Naru that this is the best calendar for our office!" Both thrust up their calendar option to her face.

"Ugh," she groans rolling her eyes while the calendars block the Davis twins view. Looking over she sees that Naru has chosen a calendar that is science themed while Gene picked a Ghostbuster theme. Pushing the two calendars out of her face Mai asks, "Why is this important at two in the morning on New Years?"

"Because tomorrow when we open up the office we'll need a new calendar for appointments!" The answer comes in unison. _Oh, joy,_ Mai thinks _, this is gonna be a long morning_.

She moves over to the couch and takes a seat. "Arguments for each calendar," she asks while taking her head into her hands knowing this scenario all too well –she's gonna play tiebreaker.

"Well–"

"Oldest first!"

Gene sticks out his tongue at Naru while still behind Mai's back.

"I believe that a Ghostbuster theme calendar is perfect for our office because it can help a client relax and maybe even smile –something so many of our haunted cliental need –and it show that some of us in the office know about fun. Plus it's just one little calendar, so what's the harm in having one decoration that is not super professional and scientifically driven?"

"Naru."

"A Ghostbuster theme is absolutely a horrible idea, it will completely ruin the credibility we are trying to build with our cliental as a serious research group. Only an idiot–"

"Naru!"

"What I mean to say," Naru continues putting up his science calendar, "is that putting up something that already matches the theme is best to keep with the rest of the office space."

Taking a deep breath Mai thinks for a moment, and then stay silent for seven more. Two in the morning –they deserve worse. And then a thought comes to mind…

"You two do realize that the calendar is kept on the wall by my desk right?" Mai smiles for the first time in the New Year.

* * *

"Awe, how cute, Mai. Though I have to say I am surprised that Naru of all people allowed for this to the new calendar of the office for 2019." Ayako says flipping through the bright colored pages of the Hello Kitty 2019 Calendar. "I didn't even know you were a fan."

"I'm not really," _'but it's the best form of payback.'_

Calendar Dilemma–Or why the Office Calendar is Hello Kitty Themed

 **AN: So this is the last update of 2018! Only three more months!**


	27. Everyday Miracles

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Everyday Miracles

 **Prompt:** The miracle Naru wakes up to everyday.  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene, other pairings possibly in the future

Miracles.

Naru was never a fan of them. As a child it seemed unlikely, unscientific, and unexplainable. And for an individual born with almost miracle-like abilities it always seemed… lazy. A dues ex machina to any and every problem in stories and film. Real life doesn't work that way.

At least, that's what he always thought.

"Good morning," he hears her voice whisper into his ear. Blinking his eyes open he looks up and meets eyes the color of milk chocolate. Sweet. Too sweet, honestly. Certainly more than he deserved.

From her perspective he probably seems as though he isn't reacting at all. He blinks and decides to drift off back to sleep.

What she doesn't see is him reaching out on a psychic level and brushing her psyche with his own, hugging her on a far more personal and spiritual level than any touch of the skin could possibly convey.

It is a miracle. That someone like him –cold, distance, egotistical, and yes even _narcissistic_ –could be engaged to such a beautiful, lively, receptive, _selfless_ individual.

Some mornings, on the edges of sleep he feels as though he is still dreaming.

It is a miracle.

But not the only one.

"Is he still sleeping?" A mirror pops into the room from the kitchen carrying a tray with freshly made pancakes and bacon.

"Yeah, I think he's still exhausted from the case."

"I don't blame him –that demon was a pain to get rid of. And my unfortunately, little brother, never did learn to give up."

"Yup, that's our Naru –stubborn enough to enter a spiritual tug of war against a midlevel demon even though the exorcist doesn't think it is a good idea." He could feel her eye roll.

Peaking his eyes just slightly open, he sees another miracle: his brother, alive and well, kissing the women he loves –the two of their psyches creating a beautiful array of psychic waves that wrap around him like a warm blanket.

Miracles.

They might not be such a lazy thing after all.

That or he's far too lethargic to be thinking right.

Yeah, that might be the answer.

Everyday Miracles –or When Naru feels Lazy?

 **AN: Almost done! This has been a really fun journey for me and I can't wait for the end –mostly because I have great news to give come the end of March!**

 **Also I was really sick earlier this month and has to go to the doctor for three weeks in a row. Sorry this isn't longer.**


	28. Little Town AU II

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

"Dear Diary,"

 **Prompt:** Bizenghast AU  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

"Today I've made a friend. He still hasn't told me his name, but he seems nice enough. And his face certainly isn't as gruesome as the other's I've worn for years now. Though, I will admit it is strange that even though he's been with me for the last two weeks his face hasn't shown any signs of rotting, or even bloating. The lack of bloating is probably the sign that worries me the most –after all, all of the drowning victims who have visited me up to this point go through the bloating of the face phase and then rotting within days of us meeting. And yet, every time I look into the mirror it's as if he's a layer of freshly fallen snow… completely untouched. Though, I suppose I can't complain since I haven't had a face this nice in a long time, much less one that stays fresh long after its expiration.

"Well… I suppose that is all for today. I have a friend to keep company and an appointment to get to."

I sign my name and date the entry. It is entry fourteen of my diary. It was awkward at first, I think, but now that I have a friend to write about I suppose it isn't all that bad. Although considering Dr. Matsuzaki wanted me to not write about or think about **fiction** … well I guess I might be failing.

Getting out of bed I walk across the small white bedroom space, my home in the hospital, since the accident. I pull on a white bra, a long-sleeve cotton button down, and white sweatpants out from their placements in a white metal storage unit.

So, how are you adjusting? I ask my friend. Friend… it's such a lovely word. I don't think I've ever even had a friend before. I've had plenty of visitors –but none have stayed as long as my friend.

Oh, that's good, I comment before entering the bathroom. And there it is –the same face I've seen for the last two weeks staring right back at me in the mirror. The face of Mr. It was Just a Late Night Walk. A handsome face. It's the same, I whisper.

What? Oh? I wasn't whispering anything of importance! Really! Well… if you must know… it… it's just –you know, I mean –strange. You know… the face, your face… it, it hasn't changed, like at all. I mean your face is the same today as it was last week, and the week before that. There isn't any bloating or cuts or rotting or –you know –anything. It's… it's just a little strange, different. I mean I'm not gonna complain –by far these past two weeks have been great, wonderful even. I mean your face, and your company… it's great. And geez… now I'm rambling.

' _Knock. Knock.'_

Whiplashing my head around, I quickly exit the bathroom and head back to the only other door in the room.

Yes, I ask, opening the door ever so slightly.

Only… to see Mr. It was Just a Late Night Walk staring right back at me.

"Mai Taniyama?"

…I think time is staring to move all over again…

 **AN: So I just felt like doing another part like this.**


	29. Soul Marks AU 2

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Soul Marks Part 2 AU

 **Prompt:** AU where your soul mate is revealed to you through a soul mark in the form of a haiku! All parties involved will have the same haiku on their body, can be in different spots though, and it will be in their native or first tongue!  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

A soul mark. That's the thing that is going to ruin her life.

The one thing that modern media and culture turns into the everyday 'Romeo and Juliet' story of forbidden love where two individuals find themselves with matching marks and some form of fate attempts to rip them apart.

It's been three weeks since Gene was found. Since Mai saw his haiku on the forms. Since she's been able to have a good night's sleep.

Gene's going home today. –Not to the UK, that is, but to Naru and Lin's apartment. In Japan.

In those three weeks Mai has routinely gone by to check on Gene basically every other day after class and before going into work. Most of the time he is sleeping –apparently having your soul wander outside of your body for just over a year leaves you with a lot of sleep debt –so she usually just drops off for him a cup of tea she makes in the visitor's kitchen with the spare tea set she "borrowed" from the office.

And now, three weeks after coming to visit and the day before his release from the hospital Mai enters the little hospital room ready to routinely leave the tea cup under a cotton mitten so it stayed just warm enough for when Gene eventually woke up to find he is already awake. And apparently reading through various books on how to read Japanese characters.

Oh-no. That's not good.

"Mai!" He calls out excited with his usual smile as he closes the book and scoots over before patting a spot on the bed for her to sit on. "Come in!"

So she does.

"Here," she offers, giving him the steaming cup of tea but keeping the cotton mitt in her hands.

"Thank you."

Silence.

This is… far more awkward than any day dream Mai had as a child about meeting her soul mark.

"Mai…" Gene cuts through the silence, placing his now empty cup down onto the small side table by the bed, "I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you?"

"Sure –what do you need?" She asks, think it will no different than when Naru asks her for a "favor" of more tea.

"Could you read this for me? I've been trying to figure out exactly how these kanji would be read aloud but I just can't figure it out." He hands her a slip of paper.

She barely has to glance over it to know immediately what it reads. Three lines and read aloud they follow the pattern of five-seven-five syllables. A familiar, hauntingly familiar pattern of five-seven-five.

"If it's too personal then…" he adds on noticing her silence.

Her head snaps up so fast it makes her vision rush. "No, no –not at all." She assures him. "I was… I was just looking over the whole piece. Kanji have multiple readings and meaning after all. But… but I think I have the meaning down. Here," she readies herself to begin reading the words… but her voice will not work, "actually," she swallows, "do you have a pen I could borrow. I just… it would be…"

"Of course," Gene offers a soft smile, probably well aware that reading aloud a soul mark in most Asian cultures is something only reserved for the two people who actually have the soul marks and only when in private.

With the pen in hand she quickly writes down the words in English, something she quickly taught herself how to do back in middle school while learning the language in class. She folds the paper in half before giving it back to Gene.

Almost immediately after she stands, grabs the empty cup, and leaves the room calling out that she was going to prepare him another cup.

It's only when she reaches the visitor kitchen and finds herself alone that she allows herself to tear up. What a mess she finds herself in –her heart being pulled in two different directions. She knows she loves Naru and in a manner which she does is just as strong as the feelings she is knows she's beginning to develop for Gene. But… she doesn't want to let go. She doesn't want her feelings for Naru to vanish just because she's beginning to love Gene.

What is she going to do? If she stays away from Gene too long her heart feels as though it is being crushed. But every time she looks Naru in the eye since he rejected her she feels exactly the same.

What is she to do?

* * *

Back in the hospital room, Gene sits staring at the note and unknown to Mai, he makes a phone call. "Hey, Noll… I think… you're going to want to hear this…"

* * *

Power, Guidance, Bind,  
The wall crumbles –thread and knot,  
Everlasting smile.

Soul Marks AU Part 2 –Matching Haiku's


	30. Soul Marks AU 3

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Soul Marks Part 3 AU

 **Prompt:** AU where your soul mate is revealed to you through a soul mark in the form of a haiku! All parties involved will have the same haiku on their body, can be in different spots though, and it will be in their native or first tongue!  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

A soul mark. No, Naru thinks. Their soul mark. A match. A perfect, word for word, match… only… in two different languages. One in English that rests on the lower part of his stomach, and a matching one in Japanese that sits on the lower part of his brothers stomach.

What a cruel sense of humor fate has.

Historically speaking almost no twins –identical, fraternal, or mirror –have ever been recorded to have matching marks…

And why in different languages? Both of them have the native tongue in English so what point is there to having one of them marked in such a difficult to learn how to read language like Japanese? What is the meaning of it? The purpose? Is there even a purpose?

Naru sighs into his hands as his head begins to throb. The scientist in him wants to understand. After all… none of this makes any sense…

Sure he loves his brother and they have always had a close relationship but… the two of them being matching soul marks? What's next –both of them falling in love with the same girl?

…The same girl…

…Mai…

Could she..? No… she never, she doesn't, she couldn't possibly love him. His brother, yes. Him? There's no chance…

But…

Why doesn't Gene's mark match hers? Why doesn't him mark match hers? Why is it that he and Gene are a match?

And… why the Japanese writing?

…Unless…

Research. He has much research to do.

"Mai! Tea!"

* * *

' _It's so strange to be alive,'_ Gene muses. But then again, he –as well as his brother and later on Mai –believed him to be dead. Just another specter standing on the edge of the living realm as he tried to say his final goodbye to his other self –other half, apparently –only to get entangled with a blooming psychic user.

Mai…

"I should apologize," Gene starts as Mai sets down the second cup of tea at his desk. The first cup disappeared into his brother's cave of solitude after hollering for Mai like a servant.

"Don't worry," Mai starts, "I've gotten used to his attitude and summons."

"Oh… Oh-no. I mean –that as well I suppose –but I meant for what I asked of you at the hospital," Gene blushes remembering that day in embarrassment.

"Oh…" Mai no longer looks him in the eye and becomes visibly uncomfortable. "It's no problem, no problem at all." And with that she bows her head quickly to him and rushes off.

As soon as she's out of sight Gene drops his head and covers his face with his arms groaning. _'Fudge! Look at what you did now,'_ he thinks, _'I've only made the situation even more awkward and what's even worse is how cute she is.'_

And to think… his soul mark is Naru of all people…

' _I mean… I do love my brother and the idea of him being with anyone else does bother me… but…'_

…' _Why can't I have Mai as well?'_

Gene sits there and thinks of Mai –her smile, her passion, how she can get Naru of all people to smile..? Smile? What if?

"That's it!" Gene smiles getting out from his desk and leaving his little office, the cup of tea still sitting on the desk completely forgotten.

* * *

Power, Guidance, Bind,  
The wall crumbles –thread and knot,  
Everlasting smile.

Soul Marks AU Part 3 –Matching Haiku's


	31. Soul Marks AU 4

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

Soul Marks Part 4 AU

 **Prompt:** AU where your soul mate is revealed to you through a soul mark in the form of a haiku! All parties involved will have the same haiku on their body, can be in different spots though, and it will be in their native or first tongue!  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

' _It's been a month_ _.'_ Mai thinks as she climbs up the stairs to the office. A complete month has passed since Gene has left the hospital and officially joined the team. And an almost month has passed since Gene and Naru have… become secretive. Maybe even paranoid. At least, that's what it appears to be to her anyways.

Then again, she also knows that Gene's soul mark matches her own and she hasn't said anything about it out of… out of guilt. The guilt that despite everything, despite the soul mark, she still loves Naru just as much as her growing feelings for Gene.

With a sigh, Mai opens the door to the office more than ready to forget her worries under a pile of paperwork…

' _Flowers?'_

Flowers… dozens and dozens of yellow flowers in little vases line the entrance to the office. Each vase carries a single branch that then grows at the end into tiny little branches topping off with their own little yellow flower. The effect creates a sheet of yellow flowers… guiding her in?

Closing the door, Mai hesitantly walks in –praying that she's not walking into some prank set up by Madoka for either of the twins or worse, Lin.

' _Lin! Maybe I should turn around and call in sick today,'_ Mai thinks quickly freezing on the spot. Weird flowers lining the office is definitely something Madoka would do to set up a prank for her, unfortunate, boyfriend –and that is the last thing Mai needs: yellow flowers plus a white uniform shirt.

So she took a step back. And then a second, a third, and finally reached the back of the door. With her hand on the door handle she slowly began to turn it…

–"Woah!" Mai cries out as she begins to fall backwards.

"Mai! Are you alright?" A familiar voice calls.

' _Oh, no.'_ Mai thinks looking up… at Naru rather than Gene. Confusion crosses her mind as Naru – _really Naru_ –of all people helps her back onto her feet.

"Mai, are you okay?" Gene asks again.

Whipping her head around Mai finally sees Gene from within the office, and in his hands are even more of the yellow flowers!

Now thoroughly blushing bright red –how can she not she's currently standing between her two love interests and with the front door know closed and Gene checking her temperature she's basically squished between the two of them.

"Well it doesn't feel as though you have a fever. Naru, what do you think?"

"Here, hold this," Naru says as he hands a plastic bag –with the scent of _strawberry mochi_ of all things –over Mai's head to his twin, right before twisting Mai around and attempting to place his forehead on hers.

It was a good attempt. If only anyone other than her remembered she was a living thing not a spinning top as Mai once again falls from the sudden movement. That is –right on top of Naru. Where, along with yet another rush of blood, Mai feels something warm. Extremely warm. Almost… spiritual.

And that's when Mai realizes her eyes are close.

Opening them she's greeted to an expression she's never seen on Naru's face… a-adoration? And from behind her Gene gasps, as he rushes around and is now having the three of them form a triangle rather than a line.

Following his gaze, Mai stares in disbelief.

Right where her hand is, on Naru's lower stomach is a glowing golden light. Darting her eyes straight down Mai can see the same light glowing from her own stomach.

"Oh, Mai," Gene whispers, his voice sounding aroused. Looking over Mai is stunned to see the same glowing light coming from Gene as well.

…Silence falls on the trio…

…And then….

"I think we need to have a talk, all three of us," Naru commands looking just as confused about the state of the office as Mai was. "But first," he adds leaning down exceptionally close to Mai's face, "Mai –tea."

* * *

Power, Guidance, Bind,  
The wall crumbles –thread and knot,  
Everlasting smile.

Soul Marks AU Part 4 –Matching Haiku's

 **AN: The flowers used in this were Yarrow and they mean 'everlasting love' –kind of like an everlasting smile? ;)**

 **And yes, the yarrow flowers were Gene's idea, and no he did not tell Naru that he planned on wooing Mai with anything. And Naru, not anymore innocent, brought Mai's favorite strawberry mochi as an icebreaker to have her sit down with the twins while he explained his theory on the whole mess of a situation and ask for permission for both his brother and him to date her. And, lastly but not the least, Mai was just as clueless as the rest of you.**

 **And I just really wanted to see Mai get manhandled at the end!**


	32. And This is the Room

THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

And This is the Room…

 **Prompt:** And this is the room…  
 **Fandom:** Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

'So this is it,' she thinks to herself. It's so strange… Seeing the SPR office completely empty. All of the furniture has already been emptied and all that remains is the hollow shell of the walls.

No.

That's not completely true.

If she closes her eyes, she can still remember all of the memories formed in this office. The years she spent here sitting in a crib next to her mother, far to you to properly remember the experience. The first real memory she can recall at age three of making her birthday cake levitate several inches off the table because she was hungry –and the look of astonishment on her aunties and uncles faces not to mention the pride plain as day on Naru-papa's face.

Or the first day her brothers, the mini-twins as they were quickly nicknamed, were brought to the office after her mother was well enough to walk out of bed without being sore –so three days after birth. It was so funny to watch her brother's instinctual reactions to her levitating their toys while she read them naptime stories in the crib that had once been hers.

Or that time her parents were surprised by the secret anniversary party she and her aunties and uncles set up to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the first case the team completed back when her mother was still in high school.

Or the first words the twins ever said –which predictably was "tea". Apparently hers had been "Mai".

Or how the twins refused Uncle Monk's suggestion that they call Naru-papa "daddy" and daddy "Gene-papa" for April Fools.

Or the surprise birthday party she and Auntie Ayako set up for mommy.

Or the first time she showed off to her family her school uniform for elementary school. And then middle school. And just recently high school. And the twins who will never get to show off their middle school or high school uniforms in this office.

Or the hundreds of cases that twins will never get to see enter this office more than ready to believe in something they cannot see or experience for themselves but still need help to deal with.

Or the hundreds of happy and safe customers living brightly in the world of the living because of her parents, aunties, and uncles' efforts.

Or the various birthday parties always celebrated together in this office as tradition regardless of the recipient's age.

Or having their routine psychic check-up in this room every year when grandma and grandpa visit.

Or the excitement she felt just last summer when her parents agreed she was old enough to go on her first out-of-town case as a junior-assistant.

' _But… they also won't know the worry…'_ she thinks.

The worry, the dread, the fear she felt just two weeks ago when she came to the office to check on the fax machine and answering machine to find that Uncle Yasu, who was in charge of watching the office and them –really the twins as she was more than old enough to not need a babysitter –was nowhere to be found. Only to arrive moments later with the twins in tow and ask all three of them to sit down.

To sit down in the couch her parents used for napping after getting back so late to the office they couldn't make it home, the same couch where mommy taught her and later her brothers how to read, the same couch where mommy, daddy, and Naru-papa spread cuties and laughter, the same couch were her and her brothers were told their parents were no longer on this side of the veil.

The same couch where she was glopped on either side by her younger brothers as they cried out their eyes.

Apparently it was a far more dangerous case her parents had taken on then they, her brothers and she had been informed of. Apparently it was a far more dangerous case than her parents ever realized as the client had doctored the paperwork. Apparently her parents had been hired to clear out the spirits of an old house by the serial killer that placed them there. Apparently the killer decided he didn't mind adding some spirits to unexpected collection when her parents figured things out.

Apparently it only took five hours to cremate all three of her parents. Together, that is. All three of them had stated in their will they wanted to be cremated together should something ever happen. That way, their ashes will eternally be together as a single entity. Just like them.

"Goodbye." She whispers to the empty space.

Yes, the space has been discolored by negative energy and thoughts in the last few weeks. Yes, it is highly likely that she will never be able to come back to her home once she leaves. Yes, she and her brothers are heading for English, hundreds of thousands of miles away from their native land. Yes, once she closes the front door she is closed the chapter of her life as a child.

But, even so, this is a place of happiness. This was, and still is, her home. This office and all of the memories held within are the product of her parents love and dedication to one another. And even if she never gets to see it again…

It will never changer her memories, her smiles, or her tears…

…And This is the Room… Where it All Happened.

 **AN: So this turned out dark… Sorry? But hey! Naru, Gene, and Mai had little baby's! And I know this is a bittersweet note to end this collection on but I already finished the happy Soul Mark AU and I wanted to finish this piece, which has been sitting in my folder incomplete for months [Sorry!].**

 **So… I intentionally left all of the children with no names in this piece because I didn't have a clue what I should even name them so you, as the readers, can just fill in whatever names make you happy! For reference though I figure the narrator is the oldest of the three children and a girl around the age of fifteen [so not much younger than Mai in Ghost Hunt!]. Her younger brothers are identical twins and around ten in terms of age, but of course as Davis twins they are highly intelligent. Oh, and you guys can make the assumption that all three have psychic abilities of some sort.**

 **As for the Ghost Hunt gang –they are all still around and basically everyone is waiting down stairs for the daughter to join them and the twins are with the gang as well. The reason they aren't in the scene is because I think if the daughter was really grieving she would, like my own mother when my grandma/her mother passed, want to be alone with this significant space to say her final goodbyes.**

 **And with this –another case is closed. I hope you enjoyed these last couple of uploads to the collection, and if you skipped to the end of the chapter roster [like I do] then make sure to check out the other uploads [all of them are part of the Soul Mark AU] that are placed in front of this one!**

 **This has been a very long and winding journey and thank you everyone who has taken it with me!**


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